Communication Commons^™

Assessing The Threat Of Social Media To National Security: Information Operations In The 21st Century, Brendan M. Cullen

Senior Theses

The ubiquity of social media has enabled an unprecedented amount of personal data to be accessible to various entities. Social media platforms leverage this data to optimize algorithmic recommendation systems, persuade users to engage, and promote monetization. The social media ecosystem’s business model demands continuous engagement and the relentless collection of user data to grow and scale. Not only is social media massively popular around the world, but it has integrated heavily into users’ daily lives. This integration is driven by social platforms’ deliberate architectures and affordances. The intentionality of social media can be exploited by state and non-state actors …

From "Our Poor" To "Personal Responsibility": Changing Welfare Rhetoric In Political Party Platforms Of The Carolinas And The Nation, 1950-2005, Felicity N. Ropp

Senior Theses

In this thesis, I track political rhetoric surrounding poverty and welfare from 1950-2005. I first provide thorough context on the history of welfare policy in the United States and the way these issues were framed by politicians leading up to the period my data covers. My analysis centers on 108 political party platforms from the national Republican and Democratic parties and from state parties in North and South Carolina, ranging from 1950 to 2005 (31 of which I located in archives and manually digitized for the first time ever). I explain the significance of party platforms and review the literature …

The Unsung Heroes For Intercollegiate Athletics: Examining The Dialogic Principles Of Communication In Community College Athletic Departments, Matthew Alan Stilwell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore community college athletic departments and how they connect and facilitate messages to their stakeholders. With limited resources, it’s important to understand how the athletic departments are applying best strategies and principles of relational management. Therefore, the goal and importance of this project was to explore how a mass communication tool in Twitter and how it is used in community college athletics, an area that is not a focal point in either collegiate athletics or sport communication scholarship. Using Kent and Taylor’s (1998) dialogic principles of communication as a guide for this project, …

Words Evaporate, The Images Remain: Testing Visual Warnings In The Context Of Intentions To Vape Among U.S. Adults As An Expansion Of The Theory Of Planned Behavior (Tpb), Carl Arland Ciccarelli

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation applied the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model variables of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, along with the variable of fear to explain individuals’ behavioral intentions to vape. Previous studies have explored the social appeal, intrigue, and potential consequences of vaping among adolescent and college student populations. However, these past studies have largely relied upon focus groups and self-reported data conducted among samples of teen, adolescent, and college student populations. Thus, the aims and designs of these previous vaping studies may have been lacking in construct validity and a theoretical approach from which to explain behavioral …

Exploring The Agenda-Setting Dynamics Between Traditional Newspapers And Twitter During Mass Shooting Event, Yujin Heo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the intermedia agenda-setting interplay between traditional news media and Twitter in the wake of mass shooting incidents. Applying Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling to data sourced from Twitter, national, and local news, the study investigated the distinct coverage patterns and the extent of their reciprocal influence over time. The findings of this study demonstrated that, in the immediate aftermath of a shooting incident, national news outlets exerted a significant agenda-setting influence on both local media and Twitter discourse. However, as time unfolds, a mutually influential dynamic emerged across all media platforms. …

Framing Police Brutality: An Analysis Of Newspaper Coverage Of Walter Scott’S Murder, Shamira S. Mccray

Theses and Dissertations

This research analyzes news articles about the killing of Walter Scott in 2015 to determine how frames changed over time and across platforms. Previous studies have found that news coverage of police violence against Black men has not always been fair. Instead, the narrative of official sources, like law enforcement, prove dominant. These same research articles typically focus on the way national news outlets frame incidents like Scott’s.

But this thesis takes a deeper look at how state newspapers framed Scott’s murder. I analyzed the frames and sources found in nearly 200 articles published by The Post and Courier and …

An Exploration Of The Social And Economic Factors That Influence The Mental Health Of Lgbtq College Students, Alexandria Mh Fossum

Senior Theses

LGBTQ individuals face a much higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders and mental health issues than their heterosexual, cisgender counterparts. The added academic pressures of college introduce a unique set of challenges that LGBTQ students face. This thesis includes a review of academic literature and data examining the intersections between social isolation, institutional discrimination, and financial insecurity and the effects they have on the mental health outcomes of LGBTQ college students. The paper is accompanied by a documentary consisting of a set of interviews of LGBTQ college students, giving a more personal insight into the multitude of factors that affect their …

Using Podcasts To Bring National Estuarine Research Reserves Into The Classroom For Grades 6-12, Kaitlyn M. Dirr

Senior Theses

In a typical classroom setting, there are significant challenges to exposing students to concepts related to earth sciences and the environment. These challenges are exacerbated when conveying lessons about geographic areas with limited access, such as oceans and coastlines (Louv, 2010). It is now more important than ever for environmental education to improve and adapt to our changing world. Educators may have the opportunity to bring these subjects to life by using media content such as podcasts to introduce students to new places and the scientists, managers and educators that work in those spaces. In the United States, there exists …

Toxic Positivity And Perceptions Of Mental Health, Madeline E. Feltner

Senior Theses

My thesis concerns how toxic positivity, especially the type we commonly see on social media, can affect perceptions and stigma around mental health issues on college campuses. Toxic positivity is the belief that a person should always maintain a positive mindset, no matter what situation they are in, and invalidates negative emotions. Previous research shows that toxic positivity can have a negative effect on mental health, but in this thesis, I study how toxic positivity affects perceptions about others with mental health issues, willingness to interact with those with mental health issues, and self-perception. It is important to research this …

Risk Propensity In Journalists: An Analysis Of Journalists’ Personality Traits And How They Direct Behavior In The Field, Ellen Katherine Dunn

Theses and Dissertations

Much like first responders, journalists run toward dangerous scenes instead of away from them, often putting themselves at risk. Unlike first responders, there is no research on a how a person’s risk propensity ties to their career. For this project, reporters of various ages and tenures were surveyed on their sensation-seeking levels and propensity to engage in risky behaviors while working as journalists. Journalism risk propensity correlated positively with sensation seeking. Risk motivations increase with age and tenure, meaning that older and more experienced journalists are more likely to engage in risky behavior. Males are more risk-prone than females. The …

Exploring Trustworthiness Issues About Disaster-Related Information Generated By Artificial Intelligence, Xin Tao

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis tested the degree of trustworthiness of disaster-related information generated by artificial intelligence among American people and Chinese people, and explored the causes of people's attitudes towards trust or distrust. The thesis used OpenAI's GPT-3 model to generate stories based on real disaster events by artificial intelligence, and tested the degree of trustworthiness in semi-structured interview. The study showed that it was promising to use AI technology to publicize disaster-related news to audience. To increase readers' trust in AI-generated disaster-related information, news organizations should maintain a high level of transparency about the identity of the AI author, use the …