Communication Commons^™

Përdorimi I Gjuhës Së Urrejtjes Në Mediat Ndërkombëtare Dhe Tek Mediat E Reja Në Kosovë, Laura Bilalli

Theses and Dissertations

Përdorimi i internetit çdo ditë e më shumë po zë pjesë të rëndësishme në përditshmërinë e njeriut. Pa dyshim që shumica e njerëzve informacionet e para rreth ngjarjeve ditore i marrin nga portalet. E për dallim nga mediat tradicionale të cilat kontrollohen nga redaktorët dhe kryeredaktorët, shumica e mediave në internet nuk janë të kontrolluara, si pasojë aty mund të hedh informacion kushdo dhe çfarëdo lloj informacioni. Përveç anëve pozitive që këto media kanë në jetën tonë të përditshme, ne kemi edhe anët negative të cilat duhet të evidentohen dhe përmirësohen në funksionimin e këtyre mediave. Gjërat elementare në të …

Tv Dads: A Grounded Theory Analysis Of Viewer Perceptions Of Fathers In Television Dramas, Katherine Ann Barboza

Theses and Dissertations

The present study aims to identify what viewer perceptions individuals have regarding fathers in television dramas. Framed through uses and gratifications theory and executed through the grounded theory method, 12 participants were interviewed. After analysis, findings revealed that although participants say that general perceptions of fathers on TV are negative, they have seen personally the diversity and variety of father portrayals in their favorite television dramas. Additionally, the realism of the TV dramas and characters influence the relatability to both the father figures and other characters in the show. This relatability, in turn, influences the likeability and loyalty to the …

A Content Analysis Of Relationships And Intimacy In Teen Dramas On Television, Sara Valoise Lamb

Theses and Dissertations

Television programs continue to play a significant role in a teenager's life as they become involved in dating relationships. Adolescence is a pivotal period of life. Teenagers' usage of media, especially television, provides a source of norms and scripts of what a relationship looks like. The portrayals of sexual content in teen programs has become a source of sexual information instead of parents and peers. Many parents are unaware of the sexual content teen programs deliver to their audiences. This study analyzes how teen dramas create expectations through their portrayal of relationships and intimacy on television. Five teen television programs …

Nonprofit Public Relationships On Social Media: The Public's Perspective, Brooke Lauren Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This work explores the effect of social media on expectations held by nonprofit publics as they seek to build and maintain relationships with nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in the context of expectancy violation theory, social capital, and the situational theory of publics. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 individuals who follow a nonprofit on social media to understand the public perspective on nonprofit organizations' relationship building and maintaining behaviors on social media. The study found that nonprofit publics do have specific expectations for how NPOs should build and maintain relationships on social media (i.e., high-quality posts, level of interaction being limited …

Communication Audit For Groundswell Startups, Abeer Janakat

Theses and Dissertations

This design project provides Groundswell Startups with a set of suggestions for its communication strategies based on a communication audit. The suggestions are based on marketing and communication literature, as well as, research conducted with internal and external members of Groundswell’s community. Qualitative research methods like a social media content analysis along with a focus groups and interviews were utilized to conduct the audit. The social media content analysis explores analytics features provided by Groundswell’s different platforms: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The intent behind the communication audit and following suggestions is to support Groundswell in shaping a go-to high tech …

A Place To Stand: Community Media Centers, James Joseph Knightwright

Theses and Dissertations

With the experience of 30+ years in community media, I envision providing a resource for scholars as well as community media practitioners and stakeholders. I am investigating the processes of training at community media centers (CMC) to determine potential impacts and effects. Functioning as a participant observer, I will prepare a documentary film focusing on the practices and processes utilized by CMCs to serve their communities.

Concentrating on Columbia Access Television (CAT TV), Columbia, Missouri and the Sun Prairie Media Center (SPMC), Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, I plan to visit each location to interview station staff, volunteers, and community members. These …

Analiza E Raportimeve Në Media Online Në Kohën E Zgjedhjeve, Diellza Ramadani

Theses and Dissertations

Ky punim ka për qëllim analizimin e raportimeve të portaleve në Kosovë, për zgjedhjet lokale të Republikës së Kosovës, gjatë periudhës (nëntor-dhjetor 2017), balotazhit dhe periudhës së rinumërimit të votave. Ndër pikat më kryesore të këtij studimi ishin: raportimi i portaleve dhe gazetave gjatë kohës së zgjedhjeve lokale të Republikës së Kosovës, qasja e disa portaleve siç janë: Gazetës Express, Telegrafit, Indeksonline, Gazetës Zëri, Koha.net, Gazeta Metro, Periskopin. Në këto media online është bërë analizimi i titullit, kreut apo hyrjes si dhe materialit shpjegues, fotografisë si dhe videos. Përfundimet e arritura tregojnë se portali “Telegrafi.com”, është më serioz në raportimin …

Social Media Use And Its Impact On Relationships And Emotions, Spencer Palmer Christensen

Theses and Dissertations

A large majority of the people throughout the world own a smartphone and access social media on a daily basis. Because of this digital attachment, the author sought to understand to what extent this use has impacted the users' emotional well-being and offline interpersonal relationships. A sample size of 627 participants completed a mixed-methods survey consisting of Likert scale and short answer questions regarding social media use, emotional well-being and interpersonal relationships. Results revealed that the more time an individual spent on social media the more likely they were to experience a negative impact on their overall emotional well-being and …

Like And Shout: Brand Loyalty, Framing, And Fan Interactions On The Byu Football Facebook Page, Zachary Anderson Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This research is intended to provide the stewards of social media for Brigham Young University's football program with information that will allow them to make better decisions on what kind of content will maximize engagement and enhance brand loyalty among fans and consumers on Facebook. Using several variables, including the type or theme of content, post frequency, and sponsorship, content was compared against that from the University of Oregon's football program for the 2017 season. The results, found using quantitative data analysis, reveal that some variables have a significant impact on the quantity of engagement from viewers for both programs …

A Q-Method Study Of Visual Metaphors In Advertising, Mckenzie Joell Madsen

Theses and Dissertations

Visual metaphors in advertising have been researched extensively because of their ability to persuade. However, few studies have investigated why they are persuasive from the perspective of the consumer. The purpose of this study was to identify why viewers are attracted to visual metaphor ads and provide a better understanding of the types of consumers who view them, revealing their subjective opinions and attitudes. Through the use of Q-method, four factors were identified: "Highbrows," who prefer metaphors that are classy and refined, "Connectors," an emotional group that focuses on interpersonal relationships and the relevance of the metaphor to the advertised …

Social Media's Influence On Political Communication: A Content Analysis Of Donald Trump's Tweets In The First 100 Days Of His Presidency, Priscilla L. Flores

Theses and Dissertations

Evolving technologies allow politicians to directly reach large audiences to increase interaction. Nevertheless, the average American’s attention span fell from twelve to eight seconds in the last decade; creating a gap that traditional media could not fill. Modern social media fills the gap by allowing information to be more accessible, direct, and permanent. Now, politicians can address audiences more frequently and directly through mobile devices - a tactic which creates a perception of immediacy unseen in past political climates. Donald Trump demonstrated that Twitter can be just as effective - if not more so - than traditional means of political …

The Impact Participation In School Actvities, Events And Organizations Has On The Veterans' Ability To Assimilate To Campus Culture, Eric Scott Fagan

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between student veterans’ self-perceived level of participation in school activities/events and school organizations and the association his/her participation has with his/her level of assimilation to college life. This study serves as the basis for follow up research, aiming to discover innovative tools and resources that will assist veterans facing difficulty with assimilating to college life. Subjects in the study are one hundred student veterans from a southwestern university and college. The instruments for the study are the Veteran Involvement Questionnaire (VIQ) and the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ). The results of the study reveal …

A Qualitative Study Of Florida Institute Of Technology International Students’ Perceptions And Their Reactions To President Donald J. Trump’S Political Discourse On Immigration And To Florida Institute Of Technology’S Response To President Trump’S Executive Orders, Elma G. Molina

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the meaning international students at Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) gave to candidate and President Donald J. Trump’s political discourse on immigration; along with their reaction to FIT’s response to President Trump’s executive orders, Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States. In conducting a qualitative study, a series of one-on-one interviews were held with voluntary participants. The researcher discovered FIT international students sought out a variety of news sources in order to stay informed of not only local news, but also international news, particularly news pertaining to their regional area of origin. The …

The Effect Of Dose Frequency On Treatment Efficacy For Children With Speech Sound Disorders, Kristen Marie Giesbrecht

Theses and Dissertations

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are urged to make evidence-based treatment decisions, but it is challenging to determine the appropriate intervention intensity for children with speech sound disorders (SSD) due to limited published information. This study is a single subject, multiple baseline design that compares the phonological changes of four preschool children (4;0 to 4;9) who received therapy either twice a week or four times a week for a total of twenty, 50-minute sessions. Each child’s production accuracy of treated sounds and overall percent consonants correct (PCC) values were used to qualitatively and quantitatively measure generalization via raw scores, d scores, and …

From Ideology To Ideologue: How The Mormon Church Utilizes The Ideograph To Interpellate Identity, Alexander Ewers

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to form a more thorough understanding of how a prominent U.S. religion has utilized internally-generated media to interpellate its preferred identity onto members. Specifically, this research investigated how the ideograph was utilized as a tool for interpellation in the context of Mormonism. To do this, an ideological criticism of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Ensign magazine was conducted. A single ideology was found: The ideology of the perfect order. Constitutive ideographs of this ideology were also discovered. In connection to the use of gender, sex, and sexuality language to express the perfect order ideology, …

Diffusion Of Innovations And Public Communication Campaigns: An Examination Of The 4r Nutrient Stewardship Program, Henry Seeger

Theses and Dissertations

This project is an examination of how strategies for innovation in fertilizer application are communicated to agricultural communities. Specifically, this project examines the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Program‒a public communication campaign seeking to encourage the use of specific strategies, tools, and best practices in fertilizer application. The campaign is advanced by the Fertilizer Institute, an industry trade association, and targets local agricultural communities within the United States. To understand how this campaign functions to encourage adoption of innovative fertilizer application behaviors, this project draws on the principles of diffusion of innovations theory as well as established concepts within public relations, including …

Every Rose Has It S Thorn: A Feminist Critique Of How The Bachelor Communicates Ideal Femininity, Katy Biddle

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the messages ABC’s The Bachelor sends about ideal femininity. Specifically, the first and twentieth seasons were analyzed through a liberal feminist lens to determine if the women on The Bachelor aligned with stereotypical representations of women in media. I focused my attention on the women who progressed to the final three within the competition and the women who were depicted as the villains within the series. Then, I compared the first season’s portrayal of the contestants with the twentieth season’s portrayal. The three themes that were uncovered were sexuality, confidence, and “ladylike” behaviors. Ultimately, I argue that …

Communication In Live Sports Broadcasts: Attributions Of Task Performance Errors, Benjamin J. Lynn

Theses and Dissertations

A single study was conducted exploring perceptions of causal attributions communicated through a task performance error during a live sports broadcast. Participants were recruited from within the live broadcast sports community and causal attributions of a camera operator’s performance were measured using a Multidimensional Observer Attributions for Performance Scale (MOAPS) developed by Rutherford, Harari, and Rudolph (2013). Additional scales were created to measure perceptions of importance, frequency, and future hiring recommendations. Results found that following a camera mistake in a live sports broadcast, the camera operator’s relationship with the director significantly influenced future hiring recommendations and attributions of ability in …

A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of Perceptions By Public Relations Practitioners In The United States And Germany, Leila Schmidt

Theses and Dissertations

In our globalized world, becoming aware of the interdependence between public relations and culture becomes more and more important. This cross-cultural study combines an emic and etic approach to explore how PR practitioners in two individualistic countries, the United States of America and Germany, experience and perceive the impact of culture on their practice, specifically the development of campaigns. To understand the broader image, the study incorporates Hofstede’s (2009) cultural dimensions; to examine similarities and differences in terms of cultural nuances, the study relates to Spitzberg’s (2015) intercultural communication competence. The participants consisted of sixteen male and female PR practitioners …

The Effects Of Instructors Discussing Alcohol In The Classroom On Student Perceptions Of Their Instructor, Nathaniel Swiech Brophy

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is comprised of two studies. Study I is a qualitative exploratory analysis which attempts to uncover students’ experiences with instructors discussing alcohol in the university classroom and how the appropriateness of this behavior is determined. How this mention of alcohol affects the students’ perception of the instructor, as well as the relationship between perceived appropriateness of the behavior and change in perception, are also investigated. Study I found that students have experienced their instructors mentioning alcohol in the classroom as normative student behavior, part of the formal curriculum, and their instructor disclosing personal alcohol use. Participants determined appropriateness …

Preparing For College: The Effects Of High School Speech Experience On Critical Thinking, Information Literacy, Communication Apprehension, And College Preparedness, Brian M. Rohman

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of the college-level basic communication course are well documented. However, a stand-alone, high school communication course is becoming a rare sight across the United States. This study seeks to examine educational outcomes of learning communication skills at the high school level on college freshman. Students enrolled in a college-level basic communication course were surveyed on factors such as critical thinking, information literacy, fake news identification, communication apprehension, and preparedness for college through speech preparation as well as grit. While few significant findings were found, implications for the study of communication at the high school level are examined.

Creating Sustainable Workplace Environments: An Exploratory Study Of Social Energy Expenditure In Cross-Sex, Heterosexual Organizational Friendships, Kathryn Cordelia Green

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis outlines the reasoning and methods used to investigate the concept of social energy expenditure from Hall and Davis’ (2017) communicate bond belong (CBB) theory as a lens for understanding how individuals invest social energy into forming and maintaining cross-sex, heterosexual friendships in organizations. Informed by previous literature, this study explores the intersect between interpersonal communication and organizational communication. Apart from Hall (2018), no other scholars have tested the 2017 CBB theory. Therefore, the present study’s goal is to provide a foundational inquiry into the usability of the theory by utilizing the core concept of social energy expenditure and …

Getting In Each Other’S Way: Enlarging The Possibilities Of Sustainable Community Development Through Communication, Cecelia M. Long

Theses and Dissertations

The ultimate aim of sustainable community development is to produce, promote, and preserve community well-being. When community developers are unable to effectively articulate and actualize this aim, the individuals and communities they serve needlessly suffer, especially those in poverty circumstances, homelessness, and other forms of destitution. In this thesis, I explore the communication between organizational leaders, their collaborative partners, and participatory community members as a vital component of sustainable community development. This study addresses the lack of a comprehensive set of communicative strategies for community developers to produce sustainable change and well-being for all. I conducted twenty-five in-depth interviews with …

Pasqyrimi I Masakrës Së Reçakut Në Mediat Ndërkombëtare, Xhejlane Sopa

Theses and Dissertations

Objekt i këtij punimi është pasqyrimi i Masakrës së Reçakut si një nga ngjarjet që ka tronditur opinionin e brendshëm dhe atë ndërkombëtar gjatë luftës në Kosovë. Tema shtjellon aspekte të raportimit të medieve me ndikim global për njërën nga ngjarjet më të rëndësishme në historinë e re të Kosovës. Përveç pasqyrimit të kësaj ngjarjeje në mediat me ndikim global, punimi shtjellon rolin që ka pasur raportimi në marrjen e vendimeve politike të faktorëve ndërkombëtarë për të ndërhyrë në Kosovë. Punimi analizon shkrime të veçanta tëmediave të njohura si BBC, CNN etj., për të analizuar në mënyrë të detajuar ndikimin …

Combatting Negative Stigma And Communication Obstacles For A University Community: Strategies And Recommendations For Caps At Florida Institute Of Technology, Kiayna Symone O'Neal

Theses and Dissertations

Counseling centers were established on university campuses to assist in student mental health wellness. The increased need for these services is evident with the steady rise in mental health conditions in college-aged students. However, research shows that despite the existence of counseling services on campus, a variety of factors still inhibit students from seeking the help they need. Researchers and universities have had to work to find the most effective ways to combat mental health stigma, lack of knowledge of resources and increase mental health awareness for the entire university community. This project examines these factors on the campus of …

Effect Of Political Branding On Electoral Success, Audrey Anne Gangloff

Theses and Dissertations

It is assumed that a valuable political brand directly translates into the ability of a party to gain or sustain electoral votes. However, very little empirical research has been done that investigates whether that is true. The purpose of this study is to further explore the composition of politicians’ brands and the relationship between political brands and electoral votes. The following study uses quantitative content analysis to test the relationship between the components of Speed, Butler and Collins’ (2015) political human brand model and electoral success for 2016 U.S. Senate candidates. This research is the first to systematically explore the …

Food Discourse: The Communicative Gateway Toward Understanding Formerly Colonized Representation In Parts Unknown, Mitch Combs

Theses and Dissertations

CNN’s television series, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, merges food and travel genres to communicate representations of local, indigenous, and other formerly colonized cultures. This thesis will present the significance of Parts Unknown through a review of literature that concerns postcolonial theory and food discourse to which critical insights emerge and explain how indigenous cultures are represented within Western “foodie” television. These insights will then guide a postcolonial investigation of the food rhetoric used to represent/discuss colonized and local groups within three episodes of Parts Unknown. Additionally, potential applications for rhetorical criticism are discussed by using Parts Unknown as an example …

Perceptual Proficiency Ratings Of Obstruent Productions In L2 Learners Of English As A Function Of Speech Task Type, Word Position, And Listener Expertise, Rachel Mcpherson Zitting

Theses and Dissertations

Second language (L2) learners of English must learn to produce English phonemes, words, and sentences. These L2 learners make many errors when learning English; they may change the place or manner of articulation, insert vowels, or delete consonants. Obstruent sounds, such as fricatives, affricates, and stops, can be especially difficult for L2 learners. This study analyzed native English speakers’ perception of the quality of obstruents produced by native Mandarin Chinese and Korean speakers. Target words containing obstruents had been produced in three different tasks: in a carrier phrase, in a paragraph, and in a spontaneous speech sample. Obstruents were produced …

Framed Text Messages As A Nutrition Education Intervention, Michael James O'Halloran

Theses and Dissertations

A youth’s college years is a critical period in health behavior formation, during which body mass index (BMI) and other health behaviors such as diet and physical activity are strong predictors of adult health status. Text messaging is prominent in the lives of most college-age adults. Despite this, relatively few studies have investigated the potential of utilizing a text message-based intervention to target fruit and vegetable consumption, a measure for weight management behaviors. Additionally, few studies utilizing a text message-based intervention have utilized a theory specific to the creation of behavior-motivating text messages. The gain-framed health behavior messages of Prospect …

But First, Let Me Take A Selfie: A Content Analysis Of Female And Male Celebrity Selfies On Instagram, Maureen Grace Elinzano

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to analyze the differences between women and men and their selfies on the popular social media application Instagram. Past research and notions in popular culture show that women take more selfies than men do, and that they place more time and effort into their selfies than men do. The goal is to show that women may not solely do the action of taking and posting selfies and that the stereotype of taking and posting selfies being a feminine action should not be prevalent. We conducted a thorough visual content analysis of selfies on Instagram …