Communication Commons^™

The Bite Model And Multi-Level Marketing: How Monat Propagates, Lilly D. Cheung

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This study aims to understand how MONAT Global Corp, a Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) company, utilizes rhetoric that aligns with Steven Hassan’s BITE Model of Authoritarian Control. Hassan is a cult expert and cult survivor whose work primarily explains undue influence and thought control with BITE representing Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional control. The MLM MONAT is a haircare brand that operates through a recruitment-and-sales-based hierarchy, in which sellers sign up and work under one another in a layered marketing structure. To meet quotas and maintain ranks, representatives will use rhetorical strategies to recruit new sellers beneath them in their ‘downline’ …

Industrial And Organizational Psychology Researchers’ Positive And Negative Experiences With The Peer-Review Process, Alexa Weaver

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Peer review plays a critical role in advancing the field of psychology; however, limited empirical research has examined psychologists’ experiences with the peer review process. The present study investigated both positive and negative peer review experiences among industrial and organizational (I/O) psychologists and assessed the prevalence of specific reviewer behaviors. A two-phase survey design was administered via Qualtrics. Study 1 employed open-ended questions to identify recurring themes in researchers’ experiences with peer review. Thematic analysis revealed distinct positive and negative patterns of reviewer behavior, which informed the development of Study 2.

Study 2 quantitatively assessed the prevalence of behaviors associated …

Life In Laughter: Comedy’S Impact On Student Health And Success, Julia Weinstein

Honors Undergraduate Theses

College students face rising rates of anxiety, depression, and stress, highlighting the need for accessible, stigma-free wellness interventions. While comedy is often seen as entertainment, research indicates laughter produces measurable psychological and physiological benefits, including reduced cortisol and increased endorphins. Life in Laughter, a creative-research hybrid project, investigates how live and digital comedy experiences affect college students’ mood, stress, and sense of belonging. Using mixed methods, data were collected through anonymous audience surveys, app-based reflections via JoyScroll, and interviews, supplemented by a mini-documentary. Findings suggest humor functions as both an emotional regulation tool and a means of fostering …

An Exploration Of The Professionalization Of Graduate Students Using Rhetorical Theory, Jennifer M. Crowell

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This qualitative study examines the professionalization of graduate students as a rhetorically mediated and relational process of identity development within an interdisciplinary doctoral program. While existing scholarship emphasizes institutional structures and formal mechanisms of professional preparation, less attention has been given to how graduate students experience professionalization at the individual level. This study addresses that gap by exploring how students interpret expectations, use rhetorical strategies, and construct professional identities across multiple disciplinary contexts.

Grounded in organizational rhetoric and community of practice theory, the study investigates how graduate students in the Texts & Technology Ph.D. Program at the University of Central …

Vaccine Hesitancy In Arabic Discourse: A Multi-Method Social Media Study, Nada Dimashkieh Chehab

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Vaccine hesitancy — the state of uncertainty about vaccination — poses global public health challenges, undermining efforts to prevent infectious diseases. It is also a contextual phenomenon, shaped by social and political forces. While survey-based research on vaccine hesitancy is abundant both globally and in the Arab world, humanities-oriented approaches using discourse analysis remain limited especially in Arabic on social media: some have tracked trends on Twitter, but virtually none have done so on Facebook. This dissertation addresses these gaps through a multimethod design combining Textual and Trend Analyses and Critical Discourse Study. It examines vaccine-related trends and discourses among …

Independent And Interacting Effects Of Co-Presence And Social Media 'Likes' On Online Disinhibition, Margaret M. Doheny

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Social media platforms have fundamentally transformed interpersonal communication by creating environments in which behaviors are publicly reinforced through visible social feedback systems such as “likes.” Although prior research has linked online environments with increased disinhibition and negative behavior, existing literature has primarily focused on anonymity and invisibility as the primary mechanisms underlying these effects. However, the mechanistic role of physical and psychological co-presence in driving online disinhibition has received little empirical investigation. The central aim of the present study was to determine whether reduced social presence and the selective reinforcement of negative content contribute to online disinhibition and anticipatory reward-seeking …

“How Far Do These Roots Go Down”: An Exploration Of Latinx And Latina Fans On Representation In Disney's Encanto, Noemi Nunez

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

In this dissertation, I examine how Latinx and Latina audiences engaged with and interpreted Disney’s 2021 Encanto, an animated film celebrated for its representation of Colombian and broader Latinx culture. While scholarship on Latinx representation in media has expanded, less attention has been given to how Latinx audiences themselves respond to narratives that are meant to represent them, particularly within fan studies. Focusing on both a broader Latinx fan community and first-generation Latinas in the United States, this project explores how audiences negotiate representation and recognition using Encanto as a media text that centered a Latinx story. Drawing from …

Performing The Digital Identity: A Media Discourse Analysis Of Online Identity Construction, Dalya Qasem

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This dissertation investigates how news media construct narratives about TikTok and its role in shaping digital identity. While existing scholarship has examined issues such as privacy, marketing, and entertainment, less attention has been given to how identity is represented, negotiated, and understood within public discourse. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) combined with computational text analysis through Voyant Tools, this study analyzes a corpus of 111 news articles published between 2020 and 2025 that explicitly reference TikTok and identity. The analysis identifies prominent keywords, topics, and rhetorical patterns across media texts. Furthermore, the research demonstrates a critical analysis of popular understandings …

Online Risk And Harm For Marginalized Users: How Social Influence Amplifies Or Mitigates Vulnerability, Tangila Islam Tanni

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Social media has reshaped how people connect, communicate, and influence one another, yet these environments also create harms that disproportionately affect marginalized users. Participation in online communities can expose users to identity-based harassment, emotional distress, and the normalization of harmful attitudes, shaping identity, well-being, and participation online and offline. Prior work has documented many forms of online harm, yet less is understood about how harmful norms and behaviors are reinforced across different forms of social media interaction, from private direct messages to online communities. Guided by the Social Ecological Model, this dissertation investigates how online harms toward marginalized users emerge …

The Role Of Cultural Intelligence In Hotel Employee Engagement, Self-Efficacy, Job Satisfaction, Performance, And Intent To Stay, Meaad Eid F Almotairi

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This research examined how Cultural Intelligence enhanced hotel employees’ engagement, self-efficacy, job satisfaction, performance, and intent to stay. CQ was defined as an individual’s capability to understand, adapt to, and work effectively in culturally diverse situations. This thesis utilized a quantitative methodology based on the Job Demands–Resources (JDR) model and self-efficacy theory. The study focused on the hospitality industry in Saudi Arabia, where increasing diversity has created a need for stronger cross-cultural skills among employees. Data were collected from hotel employees and managers to examine the relationships between CQ and key employee outcomes. The findings indicated that Cultural Intelligence significantly …

Motivational Interviewing Impact On Provider Burnout, Julie Cook

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

The study of patient–provider communication rarely considers the impact of provider–patient dialogue on providers themselves. This dissertation explores why motivational interviewing (MI) has been shown to reduce burnout among health care providers who use it. Using the empathic communication model (ECM) as a lens, it examines possible explanations for how MI contributes to lower burnout in providers. A mixed‑methods approach was used, consisting of a survey‑based quantitative study and a qualitative study using semi‑structured interviews. The quantitative study surveyed physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Participants were asked questions assessing their knowledge of MI, the types of empathy they experience …

Do Emerging Social Media Platforms Shape The Gender Gap In Surveillance Political Knowledge?, Saskia Papsova

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Abstract

Research shows that men consistently score higher than women on standard political knowledge measures, but as Americans increasingly obtain political information through social media, it is unclear whether different platforms affect this gender gap. This study investigates whether social media platforms shape the gender gap in surveillance political knowledge—knowledge of current political facts and contested claims circulating in the contemporary information environment, and which platforms have the biggest impact. Using data from the ANES 2020 Social Media Study, I estimate weighted OLS regression models testing whether platform-specific usage is associated with surveillance political knowledge and whether these associations differ …

Contested Air: Politics, Prejudice, And Radio Broadcasting In New York State, 1925-1928, Sebastian Garcia

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This thesis examines the intersection between radio broadcasting as the "new media" of the 1920s and American political culture of the period, using New York Governor and 1928 Democratic presidential candidate Alfred E. Smith as a case study. Smith entered 1925 as a political lone wolf and left the year as a triumphant victor set to take the presidency. Building on the work of Smithian scholars, this thesis illuminates how Smith’s radio use remained central to this political transformation. Smith found in radio an apt space to bypass Republican opposition and mobilize the body politic through direct engagement, which, in …

From Concept To Community: Building And Sustaining Communication Research Labs, America L. Edwards, Matthew J. A. Craig, Hannah E. Jones, Chad Edwards, Autumn P. Edwards

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This essay explores the conceptual, practical, and relational foundations of building and sustaining communication research labs. Drawing on early models of research teams, we argue that contemporary labs function as living systems that integrate research, teaching, mentorship, and community engagement. The essay outlines practical considerations for creating and maintaining labs, including recruitment, infrastructure, leadership succession, and digital presence, while emphasizing the importance of flexibility and autonomy. Rather than viewing labs as static organizational units, we position them as relational ecosystems that evolve through connection, shared purpose, and adaptability across time and institutions. Ultimately, this work encourages scholars to view lab-building …

Making The Invisible Visible: Cultivating Contexts For Equitable Workloads, Andrea Carlile

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Women make up the majority of degree earners and most of those teaching at higher education institutions. Yet, women are not advancing to the highest ranks. How female faculty receive credit for their work may account for the discrepancy in women advancing to the highest ranks. This single-institution case study explored institutional practices and policies as they related to workload satisfaction and rewards for female faculty. Following the framework from the Faculty Workload and Rewards Project, FWRP, the case used the constructs of equity-minded faculty workloads to shape the analysis. Three themes emerged in the analysis: context matters, transparency practices, …

Complete Volume 42

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This is the complete Volume 42 of the Journal of the Association for Communication Administration.

Human-Machine Communication: Complete Volume. Volume 11

Human-Machine Communication

This is the complete volume of HMC Volume 11.

The Algorithmic Public Sphere: Ai-Generated News Site As A Conduit To Social Capital, Seungahn Nah, Xinlei Wu, Ernest Makata, Jun Luo, Ian Koratsky, David Park, Seungbae Kim

Human-Machine Communication

A growing body of scholarship on AI-generated news has examined its impact on various outcomes. However, less attention has been paid to the actual implementation of AI-generated news sites and their effectiveness on civic consequences. This study examines the effects of an AI-generated, community-centered, nonprofit news site on civic outcomes such as trust in nonprofit organizations, trust in AI-generated news, social capital, and civic engagement. Data was collected from participants at a large southeastern university who visited the AI-generated news site over a four-week period and responded to a series of open-ended questions weekly. A total of 721 open-ended responses …

Machine Credibility: How News Readers Evaluate Ai-Generated Content, Alexander Wasdahl

Human-Machine Communication

The advent of AI-generated news as a novel form of content demands renewed attention toward modes of understanding reader perceptions. This research sought to answer: What are the evaluative criteria used by readers in their perception of automated news content generated via natural language processing? A series of exploratory factor analyses (EFA) was conducted on results of a survey using items obtained in an initial survey phase to uncover underlying factors contributing to differences in reader article rankings. When compared with the results of factor analyses for human-generated news content, the findings offer new constellations of terms that reflect the …

Disentangling (Hybrid) Trustworthiness Of Communicative Generative Ai As Intermediary For Science-Related Information—Results From A Qualitative Interview Study, Evelyn Jonas, Esther Greussing, Monika Taddicken

Human-Machine Communication

The increasing prevalence of communicative Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, highlights their transformative potential for science communication while raising critical questions about users’ trust in these systems conveying science-related information. As perceptual hybrids these agents challenge traditional notions of trustworthiness, and it remains unclear to whom or what users refer to as the object of trust. This qualitative interview study integrates dimensions from human-machine and epistemic trustworthiness within a hybrid framework, complemented by a descriptive source orientation model. It highlights that trustworthiness assessments can extend beyond a chatbot’s interface, emphasizing the perceived salience of its underlying infrastructure, developers, and organizations. …

Generative Artificial Intelligence And Collaboration: Exploring Religious Human-Machine Communication And Tensions In Leadership Practices, Pauline Hope Cheong, Liming Liu

Human-Machine Communication

The adoption of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) applications has bolstered efforts toward human-machine collaboration. Given the lag in research on AI and religion, this study examines how pastors engage GAI to develop religious human-machine communication practices that constitute their leadership. Findings from in-depth interviews with pastors in the U.S. reveal that they view GAI as an idea generator, research assistant, co-author and translator. Clergy enact multiple ways to incorporate GAI communication in religious education and to enhance sermonic performances. Concurrently, pastors perceive tensions between innovation and established rites, as they contend with the authenticity and spiritual depth of GAI content …

Tools Or Teammates? Examining Agency Negotiation In Human-Genai Collaboration In Creative Work, Yuan Sun, Ignacio Fernandez Cruz, Donggyu Kim

Human-Machine Communication

As Generative AI (GenAI) becomes increasingly integrated into creative work, creative professionals face an emerging dilemma: while they can leverage powerful AI capabilities through prompts, the automated process also introduces uncertainties and risks. This study, based on semi-structured interviews with 18 creative professionals, explores their experiences and perceptions of using GenAI tools in creative work. The findings revealed that GenAI’s perceived adaptability, creativity, and scalability enhanced sense of agency in the creative process. Conversely, limitations in customizability, uncertainty, and feedback mechanisms undermined human agency. These perceptions were influenced by users’ conceptualization of GenAI—as either a simple tool or a collaborative …

Investigating The Persuasive Potential Of Communicating With Generative Artificial Intelligence Chatbots For Mental Health: The Roles Of Perceived Message Contingency, Cognitive Elaboration, And Issue Involvement, Hanyoung Kim, Yanyun (Mia) Wang

Human-Machine Communication

With the ever-increasing adoption of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) chatbots in diverse communication roles, there is a burgeoning need to address how people process and respond to messages from these technologies. This study explores the theoretical mechanisms by which the use of GenAI chatbots influences persuasive outcomes related to mental health, examining perceived message contingency and cognitive elaboration as mediators, and issue involvement as a moderator between the two mediators. Through an experimental setting using ChatGPT, compared to non-conversational online resources, we discovered that GenAI chatbot use led to greater cognitive elaboration through an increased sense of message contingency, leading …

Generative Ai In Higher Education: A Comparative Study Of Chatgpt Adoption, Perception, And Use Among College Students In The Global North And Global South, Shudipta Sharma, Louisa Ha

Human-Machine Communication

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT have become the fastest-adopted technology, raising concerns about its misuse in education. This study explores ChatGPT usage for class assignments among 646 college students in the U.S. and Bangladesh, focusing on their perceptions and trust in the tool. Using the technology acceptance model, along with internet efficacy and social persuasion theories, we found that students in both countries had high levels of awareness and adoption. Individual factors did not significantly influence ChatGPT usage, while social persuasion, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and country were the strongest predictors. The findings suggest that AI technology may …

Making Sense Of The Role Of Chatgpt In Education: An Examination Of Student Views In China, Italy, Kenya, Uruguay, And The U.S., Leopoldina Fortunati, Autumn P. Edwards, Weiming Ye, Anna Maria Manganelli, Chad Edwards, Soledad Caballero, Lusike Mukhongo, Giovanni Ferrin

Human-Machine Communication

This article investigates the diffusion and adoption of ChatGPT among college students from a multinational convenience sample, informed by the scholarly literature on the diffusion and progressive appropriation of ChatGPT by students and teachers within the education sector and the strategies adopted by academic institutions. We applied a figurational approach to this study, offering two theses that try to understand the societal meaning of ChatGPT diffusion in the educational sector. Operationally, we explored university students’ behavioral intentions, practices of use, and opinions toward ChatGPT in five countries (China, Italy, Kenya, Uruguay, and the United States of America) through an online …

“Made Classes Easier Than A Coloring Sheet”: Student Perceptions And Uses Of Genai, Jessalyn I. Vallade, Renee Kaufmann, Trenton Upchurch

Human-Machine Communication

Student use of GenAI is growing and so are the faculty concerns. With research providing mixed suggestions and approaches, this study sought to understand the student perspective on ethical uses, their own motives and perceived benefits of GenAI use, the risks involved, and their perceptions of susceptibility and severity related to unethical use (i.e., plagiarism/cheating). Results revealed the complexity of student considerations regarding the uses, risks, and benefits of GenAI and its potential for personalized learning enhancement. Students generally view the likelihood of being caught submitting AI-generated work as their own as high and the consequences as severe. The viability …

Coding Openai In An Open-Sourced Code Sharing Platform: Exploring The Collaboration Networks On Chatgpt Projects On Github, Jingyi Pu, Xinzhi Zhang

Human-Machine Communication

Amid rapid advancements in generative AI (GenAI) tools, individuals and organizations—including both professional and amateur developers—are actively sharing and collaboratively developing GenAI code on open-source platforms, driving the adaptation and creation of new applications. However, it remains unclear whether such collaboration disrupts existing technological hierarchies or reinforces them; addressing this question is crucial for assessing the democratizing potential of open-source practice and informing policies for equitable innovation. Drawing on world-systems theory, we examine owner-contributor networks in ChatGPT-related GitHub repositories since ChatGPT’s launch in late 2022, complemented by qualitative content analysis of major repository themes and code functions. We find that …

Use Matters: How Different Ways Of Using Chatgpt Drive Ai Acceptance And Solutionism, Florian Golo Flaßhoff, Fabian Anicker, Frank Marcinkowski

Human-Machine Communication

Artificial intelligence is central to solutionism—the vision of a world where all major problems are solved through technology. This study theorizes about how human–AI communication shapes attitudes toward AI and influences the formation of public opinion, sparking solutionist imaginaries. We empirically examine the attitude formation resulting from the non-simulated use of an unmanipulated conversational model in a controlled laboratory experiment. Using a between-subjects design, participants engaged in three semi-structured 20-minute sessions with ChatGPT, providing a novel perspective on the effects of its use. The findings reveal that mere use of ChatGPT causally increases AI acceptance; however, its impact significantly depends …

Generative Ai: Another Chapter Of Human-Machine Communication, Seungahn Nah, Patric R. Spence

Human-Machine Communication

This editorial introduces a special issue of Human-Machine Communication that explores how generative AI reshapes the communicative relationship between humans and machines. It highlights emerging research on technology use, education, interpersonal dynamics, and trust in AI-generated content, emphasizing that generative AI’s significance lies not in novelty but in the social negotiations it provokes around meaning, authority, and credibility.

Creepy, Invasive, And Exploitative Algorithms: A Cpm Analysis Of Users' Privacy Breakdowns And Recalibration Practices With Social Media Algorithms, Matthew J. A. Craig, Jeffrey T. Child

Human-Machine Communication

Social media content filtering algorithms can both provide desired personalized content and ads for users. However, sometimes these recommendations can resemble individual private information. How might users navigate these experiences to best manage their private information? The present exploratory study utilizes the rules- and systems-based framework of communication privacy management (CPM) theory to explore social media users’ experiences of privacy breakdowns with social media algorithms and investigates what users do in response to said breakdowns. These responses were refined using content analysis and divided into different categories of privacy breakdowns and recalibration strategies. Implications for future research surrounding human-machine communication …