Communication Commons^™

140 Characters Of News: An Examination Of Twitter Usage During The 2016 Presidential Election And How Candidate’S Tweets Are Reported In Traditional Media Nationally, And In Red, Blue, And Swing States, Lillee Hill

Theses and Dissertations

During the 2016 federal election cycle, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton made use of the social media tool Twitter in opposing ways. The thesis looks at how the print media reported on candidate’s uses of Twitter on a national level by looking at The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today. On a state level, papers in Georgia, Ohio, Florida, Washington, and California were examined to see how the tweets were reported on. Qualitative content analysis was used to determine how the papers reported on tweets sent by the candidates from the date when each was formally nominated …

Inked Bodies, Blank Pages; A Study Of Amazigh Tattooing, Hannah Mesouani

Theses and Dissertations

The tradition of Moroccan Amazigh tattooing reflects the values and lived experiences of the communities that partake in this sacred practice. Adorning their fellow women with symbols of protection, tribe alliances and fertility, Amazigh women display their core values on face and body that come to represent their community. The power of these images and the women that wear them have stood the test of time, even in a newly male-dominated, Islamic Morocco that frowns upon body modification and promotes a nationalism that leaves little room for Amazigh tradition. In a corner of the world where literacy rates are low, …

"We Need To Stop Temporarily Caring: "Pulse, Spoken Word Poetry, And Audience Counter-Narrative Creation, Hannah G. Trew

Theses and Dissertations

On June 12, 2016, 49 people were killed, and 53 people were injured in a shooting at Pulse, a popular gay club in Orlando, Florida. The Pulse Nightclub shooting was the deadliest mass shooting in the United States at that time and the deadliest violent act against the LGBTQ+ community in the United States (Hancock & Haldeman, 2017; Jackson, 2017; Walter, Billard, & Murphy, 2017). The media were divided in labeling the shooting a terrorist attack or a hate crime, creating a master narrative surrounding the shooting. However, LGBTQ+ spoken word poets rejected the media’s storylines, developing counter-narratives, and instead …

The Impact Of Community-Based Training Outreach In Improving Water Quality, Health, And Sanitation In Kenya, Lavender Matuyia Ntaoti

Theses and Dissertations

Water is an important component of the human body. A greater percentage of the body comprises of water. Digestion, brain function, movement, and sweating among others are the basic functions of the human body that require water. Often, water quality is neglected in developing countries such as Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Many individuals in these countries understand the importance of having accessible water but do not prioritize the quality and the sources of the water available to them. Public health scholars endorse education, training, and sanitary infrastructure to promote awareness and importance of water quality. To address an existing waterborne …

Portalet Në Kosovë Dhe Ndikimi I Fake News, Endrit Gashi

Theses and Dissertations

Tema e titulluar “Portalet në Kosovë dhe ndikimi i Fake News”, pos që është fushë e re dhe veprimtari e re e sjelljes së medieve online, ajo në radhë të parë është e vlefshme për të parë dhe analizuar tërë këtë rol mediatik që po dominon kohëve të fundit në mediat online. Dega e Medias dhe Komunikimit në UBT do të pasurohej me këtë punim diplome sepse Lajmet e Rreme tashmë po bëhen gjithnjë e më shumë të pranishme në portalet kosovare dhe si të tilla përmes tyre po viktimizohet publiku. Fake News nuk është më risi, por domosdoshmëri për …

Roli I Këshillit Të Mediave Të Shkruara Të Kosovës, Edita Shabani

Theses and Dissertations

Tema e titulluar, Roli i Këshillit të Mediave të Shkruara të Kosovës, është e një rëndësie të veçantë. Këshilli i Mediave të Shkruara të Kosovës, pos që është fushë e re dhe veprimtari e re e sjelljes së mediave online, ajo në radhë të parë është e vlefshme edhe për të parë pozicionin e këtij Këshilli dhe rolin që ai ka pasur për këto vite. Qëllimi i KMSHK- së është të mbroj qytetarin nga shkrimet e pavërteta si dhe ta mbroj gazetarin nga ankesat e pambështetura. Misioni mbështetet mbi bindjet e Kodit të Mediave të Shkruara të Kosovës. Dega …

Stereotipat Gjinore Në Radiotelevizionin E Kosovës Dhe Në Radiotelevizionin 21, Besarta Breznica

Theses and Dissertations

Në këtë punim diplome do të shtjellohet tema e paragjykimeve gjinore në RadioTelevizionin e Kosovës dhe RadioTelevizionin 21, por si rast studimi do të merren reklamat, emisionet dhe seriali “Çka ka shpija”, serial i cili transmetohet në RadioTelevizionin e Kosovës. Duke pasur parasysh se ne vazhdimisht jemi në kontakt me televizionin, internetin e mediat online, dhe duke e konsideruar faktin që përdorshmëria e rrjeteve sociale po rritet çdo ditë e më shumë, kjo nënkupton që ne jemi të rrethuar nga reklamat dhe është e pamundur shmangia e tyre, në një botë konsumeriste dhe komercialiste, sepse pikërisht mediat në përgjithësi nuk …

Disney World, The Mythic Space, And The Disney Company Mythology, Logan Sean Spence

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I examine previous literature about Disney, his life, and his company to dissect and illustrate how he functioned as a mythical tale. Disney’s life story is a point of pride for those close to him and his family because it reflected the success of a man in a dire situation. However, once this claim is established, I use it, as well as other academic literature, to assert that the Walt Disney Myth eventually expanded into a broader Disney Company Mythology. The mythology, as I later establish, is less about Disney and more about the ideas he represents …

“Philosophical Treatises On Life And Death”:Newspaper Coverage Of A Controversial Brain Death Case, Khadija Ejaz

Theses and Dissertations

The central concern of this multi-method research project was to investigate newspaper coverage of the controversial brain death case of Jahi McMath. This represents the first study of sense-making of the case in the news media, positioning it at the intersection of science communication and critical qualitative inquiry. First, framing theory was used to guide a textual analysis of 81 newspaper articles from high-circulation newspapers in California. This revealed four frames that first created uncertainty about brain death, thereby permitting two competing frames of Jahi being alive and also being dead to co-exist before merging into a frame that further …

The Games Behind The Scenes: Newspaper Framing Of Female African American Olympic Athletes, Martin Reece Funderburk

Theses and Dissertations

Competing in and representing their country in the Olympic games is considered one of the greatest achievements for an athlete. From heroes such as Michael Jordan and the “Dream Team,” to Michael Phelps setting world record after record in the pool, Olympians are remembered as legends to those watching at home. How their amazing achievements at these Olympic games have been framed by the media though is another story. Newspapers have facilitated a platform for a qualitative content analysis on the framing of three female African American Olympic gold medalists that showed statistical significance in terms of the amount of …

Providing Prevention Education About Child Sexual Abuse To Parents: Testing Media Effects On Knowledge, Behavioral Intentions And Outcomes, Jane Long Weatherred

Theses and Dissertations

For over thirty years, efforts have been made by child sexual abuse (CSA) advocates to attract and engage parents in child sexual abuse prevention education programs. This study provided parents with CSA prevention education about how to talk to their children about CSA and assessed their attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intentions to perform this behavior utilizing the Theory of Planned Behavior. A follow-up survey was conducted to find out if the parents actually performed the behavior of talking to their children and what they talked to them about. The results were 1) that all of the …

Effectiveness Of A Brand’S Paid, Owned, And Earned Media In A Social Media Environment, Anan Wan

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored how a brand’s paid, owned, and earned media (POEM) influence and engage its audience in the social media environment where consumer engagement is stressed. This dissertation used an online experiment (N = 250) to explore the effectiveness of applying earned media within an advertising context, The findings indicated that positive earned media was more effective on people’s consumer engagement intention and download intention than paid media, but it did not work on perceived credibility of the post or product attitude. Positive earned media was found to be less credible than owned media. Among all the five …

“Picking My Battles ”: Examining The Experiences Of Gender Non-Binary Identities Within The U.S., Mika Raylen Richards

Theses and Dissertations

As there is limited research on non-binary individuals, researching the non-binary experience was essential to normalizing their existence. The qualitative research focuses on 12 non-binary individuals who were at different stages of being out. A thematic analysis helped in understanding multifaceted responses from the participants. The data showed that non-binary individuals experience invalidation each day. Heteronormative societies and individuals tend to only see a binary within gender identity and shape their language around it, whether it be from their refusal of learning or a lack of knowledge of the problem. This failure to acknowledge non-binary individuals influenced many of their …

The Relationship Between College Health Professionals' Communicative Behaviors, Students' Satisfaction, And Students' Perceived Quality Of Healthcare, Prince Adu Gyamfi

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, a Pearson product-moment correlation was performed using SPSS to analyze the associations between college health professionals’ communicative behaviors (instrumental and affective), students’ satisfaction, and students’ perceived quality of healthcare. Results showed that college health professionals’ communicative behaviors positively associated with students’ satisfaction and students’ perceived quality of healthcare. The implication is that college health professionals need to pay careful attention to how they interact with students at student health service because their interactions can potentially cause either high or low patient satisfaction or perception of quality of healthcare among students. Additionally, this thesis used anxiety/uncertainty management (AUM) …

"They Are Supposed To Be There For Me": Using Thematic Analysis To Understand Sexual Assault Disclosures In Hispanic Families, Alyssa M. Hernandez

Theses and Dissertations

The majority of research available on family communication and sexual assault disclosure is almost exclusively focused on Caucasian women (e.g., Basinger, Wehrman, & McAninch, 2016; Fehler-Cabral & Campbell, 2013; Orchowski, Untied, & Gidycz, 2013; Taylor & Norma, 2012). This is problematic because, of all cultural groups on which studies have been conducted about sexual assault reporting, Hispanics are the least likely to disclose sexual assault, although they are at high risk to experience sexual assault (Castaneda, 2018). In this study, I aimed to understand how and why survivors of sexual assault chose to disclose their experiences to their Hispanic families. …

Social Network Threat Detection, Nathanael R. Beveridge

Theses and Dissertations

Various government agencies have a stake in knowing when bad actors cross the United States' borders, or how bad actors may be involved in the ow of people across borders. Interviews conducted at border checkpoints with individuals who intend to cross the border can contain valuable information. The quantity of interviews is such that intelligence analysts could benefit greatly from an automation system that extracts the information they are looking for from within the interviews. This would allow them to focus more of their time on analyzing what is extracted as opposed to inspecting all interviews themselves. The information extracted …

Text Analysis Of Air Force References In Twitter, Seth A. Kline

Theses and Dissertations

Social media has grown to become a rich source for opinions, authored by individuals who volunteer them, unedited and in real-time. Armed with this information, an organization like the Air Force can understand the perceptions of consumers and learn to better serve the American taxpayer. To accomplish this goal, this research takes a qualitative approach, utilizing social media analytics in combination with various Text Mining methodologies (word frequency, word relationships, sentiment analysis, topic modeling) to provide insight on Air Force related content shared on Twitter. To provide a well-rounded analysis of the overall perception of the Air Force enterprise, the …

Privatësia E Politikanëve Kosovar, Me Theks Të Veҫantë Portalet Kosovare, Fatlume Zaskoku

Theses and Dissertations

Tema e titulluar Privatësia e politikanëve kosovarë dhe etika e portaleve, me theks të veçantë portalet kosovare, është e një rëndësie të veçantë. Etika në media trajton parimet dhe standarde specifike mbi mbrojtjen dhe rekomandimin e koncepteve të sjelljes së drejtë dhe të gabuar. Media është mjeti nëpërmjet të cilit bëhet e mundur shpërndarja e informacionit apo edhe dijes në drejtim të një pluraliteti marrësish ose shfrytëzuesish pa dallim. Në të gjithë botën ne e dimë se komuniteti i fuqishëm i medias punon me një ritëm të jashtëzakonshëm për të qenë në pararojë të lajmit apo zhvillimit teknologjik. Në platformat …

Etika E Raportimit Për Vrasjet E Rënda Në Kosovë, Leotrim Canaj

Theses and Dissertations

Etika është e rëndësishme për rregullimin e shkrimeve në mediat online. Fillimisht përmes këtij punimi si qëllim primar është që të njoftohemi me etikën dhe zbatimin e saj në raportimet online mbi vrasjet e rënda dhe po ashtu me rolin e saj në gazetari dhe sa respektohet. Mirëpo, sado që është e rëndësishme dhe rregullon, etika edhe shkelet nga ana e vetë mediave. “Etika e raportimit të vrasjeve në mediat online” si temë është zgjedhur për arsyen se mediat online janë të prira që lajmet t’i publikojnë sa më shpejtë të jetë e mundur, kështu që ekziston edhe mundësia e …

Mediat Sociale Në Kosovë, Si Burim I Informacionit, Mirlinda Gashi

Theses and Dissertations

Në këtë punim kemi shqyrtuar dinamikën e komunikimit përmes rrjeteve sociale pasi që sot janë bërë edhe burim informacioni. kl kl Ndryshimet e shpejta të teknologjisë informative, duke bërë informacionin të përdorshëm menjëherë, në çdo kohë dhe kudo, mjafton vetëm kyçje në internet dhe futësh në botën e informimit, kjo ka bërë që përdorimi i rrjeteve sociale te rritet në masë të madhe. Mediat sociale janë burime që njerëzit përdorin për të ndarë mendimet, njohuritë dhe përvojat me të tjerët në internet. kl Rol i rëndësishëm është mënyra për të tërhequr vëmendjen e lexuesve, për të bërë buj ku shpeshherë …

Motivational Interviewing In A Team-Based Wellness Clinic: Perceptions And Fidelity, Jodi M. Winship

Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidenced based counseling style to elicit health behavior change. Team-based student clinics are an ideal climate for students to learn and practice team-based care, yet little is understood as to how client-centered communication styles such as MI are implemented in a team setting.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this dissertation was to conduct an exploratory study using mixed methods to better understand how an MI training translates to team-based communication with clients, the factors impacting team-based implementation of MI, and how team-based MI impacts clients’ perceived autonomy at a student-led, interprofessional, team-based wellness clinic for …

Always Already Imprisoned: The Panoptic Power Of Capitalism In American Literature, 1900-1940, Andrew Spencer

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

ALWAYS ALREADY IMPRISONED: THE PANOPTIC POWER OF CAPITALISM IN AMERICAN LITERATURE, 1900-1940

By Andrew Blair Spencer, Ph.D.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2019

Director: Dr. Richard Fine, Professor, Department of English

By applying the theories of control that Michel Foucault outlines in Discipline and Punish to the capitalist system, I argue that capitalism functions in much the same was as Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon in that it perpetually imprisons individuals who live under its purview. As I see it, capitalism works on …

P300 Event-Related Potentials To A Phoneme Discrimination Task Requiring A Motor Response, Kaitlyn Chelsea Turner

Theses and Dissertations

Speech perception typically takes place within the auditory cortex as evidenced by data collected using quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG). The purpose of this study was to determine if motor responses influence speech perception. We examined P300 event-related potentials during oddball stimulus recognition tasks that either required or did not require a motor response. Based on a review of the literature, it was hypothesized that similar areas of the brain would be activated in both the motor response task and the same task without a motor response immediately following the button-push condition. Two syllables, /ba/ and /ga/, were presented to 20 native …

Brand Communication Through Social Media Influencers: How Organizations Can Advance Effective Relationships With Smis In Brazil, Andressa Ferreira Gaertner

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to shed light on how brands can build relationships with social media influencers (SMIs). By replicating Pang et al. (2016) research in different cultural settings, the present study identified internal and external influences that are important for SMIs routines in Brazil, generating additional enlightenment into the Mediating the Media model for SMIs and evaluating to what extent cultural differences may impact the proposed theoretical framework. The research was conducted in two major parts. The first replicated the method used previously by Pang et al. (2016), performing in-depth interviews with eight SMIs. In the second …

A Pokébalancing Act: The Management Of Japanese Cultural “Odor ” In Pokémon, Nicholas Raes

Theses and Dissertations

In this project, I analyzed two seasons of the Pokémon anime to discover patterns of cultural “odor” management employed by the show’s producers and editors. In the first season of Pokémon, the producers of the anime included many symbolic representations of Japanese cultural artifacts within the visual features of the show. However, between the Japanese and US versions of the season, most instances of Japanese linguistic text were either “scrubbed” from scenes entirely or replaced with English text. These techniques struck a careful balance between including and excluding Japanese specificity within the first season, subtly expressing to non-Japanese audiences the …

The Power Of Rhetoric In Game Of Thrones: How Gender And Language Reflect Character Development, Keely Phillips

Theses and Dissertations

The following thesis draws connections between literary studies, gender studies, and rhetorical studies to analyze how gender and language reflect character development in Game of Thrones. In this thesis, I use the literary studies approach of close reading in conjunction with methodologies from Gender Studies and Rhetoric to analyze how gender and language inform character development in Game of Thrones. I propose that the female characters, particularly Cersei Lannister and Daenerys Targaryen, are far more successful than their male counterparts in terms of developing as characters and mastering the language around them, giving them access to social and political power.

“Digjitalizimi Dhe Pluraliteti Medial Në Kosovë”, Xheneta Veliu

Theses and Dissertations

Transmetimi televiziv digjital tokësor është një format i ri i transmetimit që i mundëson shikuesit të marrë video dhe audio sinjale më cilësore sesa transmetimin televizioni analog.. Ky kalim i televizionit nga analog në digjital isjell shiquesit dhe publikut në përgjithësi shumë dobi. Qëllimi i këtij punimi është që të trajtoj rëndësinë e transmetimit digjital në Republikën e Kosovës, sfidat dhe progresin e arritur në këtë proces. Duke u bazuar në dokumentet dhe literaturat referenciale ky punim përmbledh zhvillimin e procesit të digjitalizimit të transmetimit tokësorë në Kosovë, duke analizuar gjithashtu edhe parapërgatitjet, kushtet përmbajtjesore dhe teknike, si dhe teknologjinë …

How S. C. Daily Newspapers Framed The Removal Of The Confederate Flag From The State House Grounds In 2015 Through Letters To The Editor And Editorials, Thomas Craig Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

The removal of the Confederate flag from the State House grounds in Columbia, South Carolina during the summer of 2015 was an action that had been discussed previously in the state since the flag went up over the State House in 1961. While the state legislature acted swiftly to have the flag removed after Gov. Nikki Haley’s announcement on June 22, the two and a half weeks between her announcement and removal on July 10 was filled with opinions from citizens all across the state and in areas of the United States where Confederate monuments and memorials still have a …

#Digitalactivism: Examining #Yesallwomen And Teaching Social Media Activism In Technical Communication, Karishma Verma

Theses and Dissertations

In May 2014, 22-year-old Elliot Rodger killed six people and injured fourteen others near

the University of California campus in Santa Barbara. A “hatred of women” was cited as the

reason for his crimes. This incident inspired the hashtag movement #YesAllWomen on social

media. Users shared examples of how although “not all men” engage in violent behaviors that

Rodger exhibited, all women go through their lives fearing. This thesis uses a technofeminist

framework to examine how the #YesAllWomen movement functioned as an online social

movement on Twitter to encourage conversation as well as promote change. I also discuss how

technical …

Lajmet E ‘Kronikës Së Zezë’ Në Mediat Digjitale Gjatë Vitit 2018, Fatbardhë Kiqina

Theses and Dissertations

Objekt kryesor i këtij punimi është ofrimi i të dhënave të faktuara mbi shkeljet ligjore dhe etike të mediave digjitale, të bëra me rastin e raportimit për ngjarje specifike që bëjnë pjesë në kategorinë e lajmeve, të njohur në gjuhën profesionale të gazetarisë me termin ‘Kronikë e Zezë’. Tema analizon shkrime të veçanta të disa mediave të Kosovës dhe trajton gabimet e bëra prej tyre gjatë procesit të raportimit. Përveç kësaj, ky punim shtjellon edhe aspektin e dëmtimit të personalitetit të personave që kanë pësuar, dëmtimin shpirtëror të shkaktuar tek familjarët e viktimave, si dhe dëmtimin e opinionit publik nga …