Communication Commons^™

A Word From The Writing Team (August 2026), Pam Walter, Mfa, Laura Deloretta, Phd

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

The Startup: Critical Perspectives On Technology Entrepreneurship And Digital Labor, Kochav Koren

All Duquesne Faculty Scholarship

Communication and media studies are rapidly reshaped by socio-technological forces within the framework of informational capitalism, where startups emerge as key drivers of the global creative economy. This study critically examines the global startup movement through political economy, classical sociology, and Southern perspectives to assess whether digital entrepreneurship fosters genuine, decentralized innovation or perpetuates speculative financialization and labor precarity. Employing a multi-layered theoretical framework—including Schumpeterian creative destruction, Marxist commodity fetishism, and Weberian charismatic authority—and qualitative fieldwork across North and Latin American tech hubs, the analysis reveals startups as network enterprises that both disrupt markets and reproduce structural inequalities. The findings …

Investigating The Role Of Patient-Provider Interaction Quality And Illness Interference In Patients' Basic Psychological Need Fulfillment And Subjective Well-Being, Rebecca Erin Elwood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Patient-provider communication occurs between patients and medical professionals. This type of communication is experienced by most U.S. adults yearly, and it can lead to positive health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of this type of communication in patient’s lives overall. Specifically, the study considered if good quality patient-provider communication is associated with people feeling an overall sense of autonomy, competence, relatedness, and an overall positive experience of their life. It also considered how much symptoms or treatment of health issues impact people’s lives. Data in the study was collected through an online survey with …

"In Any Other Circumstance I Am Not In Work Mode. I Am Clocked Out": Chappell Roan And The Objectified Persona, Aubry Louise

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

It is known that celebrities have influence on their audience’s attitudes and behaviors. Within the last few decades, multiple celebrities have created distinctions between their public/stage self and their private self, however, less is known about the ways that they differentiate between the two. This paper looks at celebrity public persona’s and how these persona’s influence their audience. I use Kayleigh Amstutz, otherwise known as Chappell Roan, as my case study. This thesis offers an analysis of how Amstutz talks about Kayleigh differently than Chappell within social media posts, interviews, and commentary from media outlets. I use the concepts of …

A Brand With A Brand: Constructing Lived-In Identity In Kylie Cosmetics And Khy, Nicole Obiukwu

Communications and Digital Media Theses

Celebrity-owned brands benefit from the visibility and recognition of their founders, but celebrity ownership alone does not necessarily establish authenticity. This study examines how celebrity-owned brands communicate authenticity through a comparative case study of Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics and KHY. Using directed content analysis, 75 Instagram posts from Kylie Cosmetics, KHY, and Jenner’s personal account were analyzed alongside relevant contextual materials. The analysis focused on four dimensions identified through existing literature: Consistency of Self, Evidence of Use, Environmental Alignment, and Evolution Over Time. Findings showed that Kylie Cosmetics demonstrated greater accumulated continuity with Jenner’s established public identity, drawing on shared …

The Difference In Social Media Coverage For Male And Female Athletes, Amanda Thomas

Communications and Digital Media Theses

Pulling back the curtain on the reality women athletes face when it comes to their social media coverage. Sports have been male-dominated since the start, but over the years women have become more and more involved in sports as they have their own teams and even sports. However, this issue lies with the overall support and coverage they are receiving from well-known Sports coverage networks. For this study, I looked at social media posts from ESPN, FOX Sports, and NBC Sports focused on the sports of Basketball, Baseball/Softball, and Tennis. In doing this study, I analyzed how many posts men …

Closer Than They Appear: Parasocial Relationships, Social Processes, And Emotional Intimacy, Paige Bedore

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Decades of research have attempted to clarify the mechanisms underlying parasocial relationships, or one-sided relationships. Yet, relatively little empirical attention has been given to the subjective experiences of intimacy that occur in these relationships or to making direct comparisons between social and parasocial relational processes within individuals. The present study aimed to address these gaps and to investigate whether selected variables associated with social relationships similarly predicted parasocial relationship strength. Adult participants identified both a meaningful social relationship target and a parasocial target before completing measures of relationship strength, intimacy, attachment style, and cumulative exposure for each relationship type. Hypotheses …

Content Mapping: An Experimental Analysis Of Missing Message Content, Jeannette Sutton

Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity Faculty Scholarship

The Warning-Response Model recommends the inclusion of five key content areas in warning messages to reduce information seeking that can lead to warning response delay: the message source, hazard (including its impact), affected location, recommended guidance, and time. Research has found that complete messages, that is, those that include all of five recommended content areas, help people make decisions about the protective actions they may take.  Unfortunately, a large majority of WEA messages omit information from one or more of the recommended content areas. This study examined the impact of omitting each of the five recommended content areas on message …

The Invisible Work: On Expertise, Showmanship, And The Trust That Makes Surgery Work, Anish Gupta D.D.S.

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This commentary examines how clinicians can make their expertise more visible to patients through communication, education, and clinical narration. Drawing parallels to surgical checklists and professional mastery, the author argues that trust is built not only through excellent outcomes but also through helping patients understand the complexity and judgment behind treatment. The article emphasizes communication, transparency, education, and mentorship as important elements of patient-centered care.

Baseline Nutrition Knowledge And Feasibility Of A Whatsapp-Delivered Nutrition Education Intervention Among California Wildland-Urban Interface Firefighters, Lauren E. Anderson

Master's Theses

Wildland firefighters perform physically demanding work under challenging environmental conditions that place substantial demands on nutritional health and occupational performance. Despite the importance of nutrition in supporting physical performance, recovery, and long-term health, limited research has examined nutrition knowledge and dietary behaviors among California wildland firefighters or evaluated the feasibility of remotely delivered nutrition education interventions within this occupational population. Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study was to assess baseline nutrition knowledge, nutrition self-efficacy, and dietary behaviors while evaluating the feasibility of a 12-week WhatsApp-delivered nutrition education intervention among California wildland firefighters.

Twenty-four firefighters completed the baseline assessment and …

Content Appeals And Messaging Used By Tik Tok Influencers Promoting Peptides, Hannah R. Gunter, Jack Dominick, Allison Komosa, Alexis Zeidner, Aida Calo, Richard M. Perloff

Student Scholarship

Peptides, small protein-like molecules that regulate important body functions, have exploded in popularity, in large part due to persuasive appeals on social media and a plethora of online promotions by social media influencers. However, there is large gray market of unregulated peptides that have serious side effects. This timely content analysis thoroughly examines how peptides are promoted on TikTok by prominent and popular male and female influencers. The study sheds light on the strategies influencers employ, and the disturbing fact that a small minority of messages mention side effects that users may confront or other adverse consequences of these supposedly-miracle …

The Rhetoric Of Flattery: Embodiment And Persuasion In Papal Discourse, Gabrielle Wilkosz

All Dissertations

What makes flattery so persuasive? An analysis of three speeches from contemporary popes, preeminent leaders in the Catholic Church, finds strategic use of compliments, emotional language, and ideas about human dignity. These approaches can persuade world leaders and institutions such as the United Nations and the United States Congress to act morally and responsibly. Flattery can encourage ethical action and reduce the feeling of emergency, creating an enduring, complex dynamic of power that is seen at many levels of narrative.

Constructing Executive Presence Within The Double Bind: Women’S Experiences Of Leadership Communication, Sydney Anne Shumaker

Communication Studies

Women in executive leadership often face a gendered double bind, expected to be warm and approachable, while also appearing competent and confident. This qualitative study examines how women executives develop executive presence and navigate these workplace expectations. Drawing on Warmth-Competence Theory and Impression Management Theory, the study explores how women leaders adapt their communication, manage self-presentation, and balance perceptions of warmth and competence in professional settings. This study involved conducting semi-structured interviews with four women in corporate executive-level roles. Thematic analysis of participant responses revealed five key themes: adaptive communication, varied experiences with gendered workplace expectations, the importance of credibility …

A Correlational Study Exploring The Influence Of Organizational Climate On Job Satisfaction Of Non-Faculty Staff At Texas Community Colleges, Tamesha M. Hilliard-Daniels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As U.S. higher education institutions face increasing challenges related to employee morale and retention, understanding the drivers of workplace satisfaction is critical for institutional stability. This research investigates the relationships between organizational climate factors and job satisfaction among staff within Texas community colleges, applying Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Herzberg’s motivator-hygiene as the theoretical framework. Specifically, this study explores the influence of institutional communication, employee well-being, and organizational mission and pride on staff job satisfaction. Utilizing a quantitative correlational design, the study analyzed secondary data from ModernThink’s Higher Education Insight Survey©. The sample consisted of 2,265 higher education professionals collected …

Ssw 701.50: Social Welfare Policy, Ian G. Williams

Open Educational Resources

This syllabus is an Open Educational Resources (OER) remixed version of SSW 701.50: Social Welfare Policy, which is taught at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. This version updated the content and integrated additional OER materials, as part of the Summer 2026 cohort of The Open Knowledge Fellowship at the Mina Rees Library. It is a Zero-Textbook (ZTC) cost course and integrates materials from a range of academic disciplines. Official course description is as follows:

"This foundation course furnishes you with the orienting knowledge and skills needed to examine social welfare policies and to understand their relevance …

Collegiate Athletes’ And Coaches’ Communicative Constitution Of Resilience: A Case Study, Lillian B. Feder

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Resilience processes are communicative in nature and vital to the wellbeing and success of athletic personnel and organizations. However, the communicative components of resilience-building are largely ignored in sport scholarship and practice. This study seeks to bridge that gap by using the communication theory of resilience as a sensitizing concept to develop a thorough understanding of communicative resilience-building processes in athletics. Semi-structured in-depth interviews with members of a Division I college baseball team were analyzed using thematic co-occurrence analysis. Findings indicate that collegiate athletes and coaches experience resilience-building as a combination of mental toughness (i.e., persistence and discipline) and resourcefulness …

The Co-Development Of Espn+ And College Sports: A Case Study, Eric Bohannon

Communication & Theatre Arts Theses

In 2018 ESPN debuted its national streaming service ESPN+. This profoundly changed the way sports fans watch college sports as well as other professional sporting events. Prior to ESPN+, a limited number of college sports games appeared on linear channels such as ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, and occasionally a few other channels. Since 2018, ESPN+ streamed thousands of events per year ranging from college soccer to college softball and everything in between, including the qualifying and early rounds of professional tennis and golf tournaments from around the country. This case study describes the impact of ESPN+ on a college conference, …

Empirical Rhetorical Modeling: New Analytical Tools To Evaluate The Intensity Of Rhetoric, August Immel

English Theses & Dissertations

Since 2020, the United States has experienced a surge of incendiary rhetoric in contemporary political discourse, which exacerbates societal polarization and incites violence as evidenced by heightened politically motivated attacks. Numerous actors characterize the impetus of such violence as “extreme rhetoric.” No standard definition exists for such a term, and this gap necessitates the central research question of this dissertation, which interrogates how rhetoric can be systematically evaluated for “extremeness.” I propose that the issue of extreme rhetoric can be fruitfully examined from within the context of rhetorical theory, but instead of attempting to create a new definition of “extreme …

Genwriter 2.0: A Hybrid Case-Based And Llm Rewriting Approach For Mitigating Implicit Gender Cues In Text, Shweta Soundararajan, Sarah Jane Delany

Conference papers

Gendered language is the use of words or phrases that indicate an individual's gender. Although useful in some contexts, gendered language can reinforce gender stereotypes and introduce bias, particularly in machine learning models for tasks involving people such as recruitment or occupation classification. When textual content about individuals, such as biographies, contain gender cues, models can learn spurious associations between gender and other characteristics of individuals, such as profession, potentially resulting in unfair outcomes such as reduced hiring opportunities for women.

To address this challenge, we propose GenWriter 2.0, a hybrid approach that integrates Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) with Large …

Harnessing Kenyan Aquaculture Through Social Media: Impacts, Challenges And Strategic Directions, Domitila Kyule, Jonathan Munguti, Mavindu Muthoka, Esther Magondu, Menaga Meenakshisundaram, Chrysantus M. Tanga, Kevin Obiero, Cecilia Githukia

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Aquaculture is increasingly important for food, nutrition and livelihoods in Kenya, but the sector still faces persistent constraints in extension delivery, farmer learning, input access, market coordination and information reliability. This review examines how social media and related digital communication tools are shaping aquaculture development in Kenya, with attention to impacts, challenges, governance needs and strategic directions. A systematic literature review of studies and institutional sources published between 2015 and 2025 was conducted. The search identified 388 records, of which 45 sources were included in the final synthesis after screening, eligibility assessment and quality appraisal. Because the evidence was heterogeneous, …

Misplay Or Malice? Players’ Interpretations Of Poor Gameplay In Competitive Team-Based Multiplayer Online Games, Valerie Yu, Benjamin H. Detenber, Sonny Rosenthal

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Research on perceptions of gaming toxicity has focused on its verbal forms, while gameplay-related forms remain relatively understudied. Furthermore, assessments of gameplay actions as toxic may depend on situational considerations. The present study used a controlled experiment to examine player interpretations of gameplay sabotage using pre-recorded gameplay scenarios from the game, League of Legends. We found that the presence of gameplay sabotage elicited stronger negative emotions and triggered greater player-reported intentions to retaliate and correct the offending player than in comparable instances of unintentional poor gameplay. Further exploratory analyses suggested that participants rated poor gameplay as less acceptable in more …

Transnational Indigenous Environmental Justice: A Distant Comparative Study Of Nepali And U.S. Environmental Policies And Counter-Archives In Technical Communication, Shankar Paudel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation investigates how institutional communication, state bureaucracy, and Indigenous sovereignty intersect within Rhetoric and Writing Studies (RWS) and Technical and Professional Communication (TPC). Current TPC research increasingly focuses on social justice; however, the field still lacks ethical frameworks to deal with the complicated dynamics of transnational Indigenous Environmental Justice Communication (IEJC). This study addresses this gap by examining how two distinct Indigenous communities - the Tharus of Chitwan, Nepal, and the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Tigua Indians of El Paso, Texas - communicatively navigate, contest, and resist state environmental policies.

Grounded in decolonial Distant Comparativism, Mestiza Consciousness, Rhetoric of …

Ephemeral To Empowered? International Comparison Of Women’S Participation In Web Series Production, 2012–2019, Nicola Evans, Marion Mccutcheon, Emilia King, Joel Bassaget, Steinar Ellingsen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Women are significantly underrepresented in above-the-line roles in film and television, but anecdotal evidence suggests they are gravitating to web series. To explore this, the authors built the largest known international archive of web series released during 2012–2019 and analysed women’s participation. In the top five web series producing countries in the West, women achieved or approached parity with men in producing, directing and writing, but not cinematography. Do achievements in low-budget, transitory media count for anything? Drawing on ephemeral media scholarship, we discuss the potential of such forms to disturb entrenched patterns of gender discrimination in screen industries worldwide.

The Representation Of Suicide In Spanish Teen Fiction Tv Series: Narrative Trends And Media Literacy Implications, Patricia Palomares-Sánchez, Victoria Soto-Sanz

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

The present study analyses the narrative treatment of suicide in Spanish youth fiction television series produced between 2015 and 2024, aiming to identify representation trends in relation to the recommendations for responsible media coverage and their implications for media literacy. The methodology underpinning this study encompasses eight fiction TV series and combines quantitative research, derived from data collection and analysis, with a qualitative component, focusing on the interpretation and analysis of the results. Findings indicate that the representation lacks due caution in depicting the method and location of suicide, which increases the risk of imitation. Although the narratives present alternatives …

Implications Of Similarities And Differences Amongst Media Literacy Skills And Trust Across Communities Of Color, Erica Weintraub Austin, Nadia Ishrat Alamgir, Alexandra Elenitsa Fil, Sultana Ismet Jerin, Di Mu, Albert Junior Nyarko, Folake Racheal Okor, Pearl Omolara Oladele, Hae Yeon Seo, Andrew D. Sutherland

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

A 2020 survey of U.S. adults found that nonwhite respondents tended to report lower levels of media literacy than white respondents. However, their media literacy skills were associated with better COVID-19 knowledge and less acceptance of COVID-19 disinformation. This secondary analysis of the dataset (N=1264) explored how aspects of media literacy and media trust varied across communities of color. No significant differences in online information efficacy were found. White respondents scored higher than Hispanic/Latiné and Native American/Indigenous respondents on media literacy for source, and higher than Black and Hispanic/Latiné respondents on media literacy for content. White respondents also …

The Role Of Media And The Digital World In The Formation Of Digital Identity And First Impressions, Author Information Removed

JMLE Submissions Open for Review

This study investigates the relationship between media literacy, identity structures, and social perception among Georgian higher education students and explores how Media Literacy affects the Formation of First Impressions through the mediating roles of Social Identity and Digital Identity. The results demonstrate a strong positive correlation between Media Literacy and both Social Identity and Digital Identity. While the direct link between literacy and impression formation was non-significant. The mediation model revealed a psychological mechanism: Media Literacy significantly reduces superficial reliance on digital profiles only by strengthening a conscious and reflective Digital Identity. In the Georgian context, these findings suggest that …

Integration Of Media Pedagogy In Teacher Education Classrooms, Author Information Removed

JMLE Submissions Open for Review

In an era where classrooms are increasingly influenced by media and socio-cultural dynamics, teacher education must evolve to incorporate critical dimensions like gender sensitization and media literacy. This study explores the role of media pedagogy in developing gender awareness among pre-service teachers in India. The study focuses on conceptualization of media pedagogy, intersectionality and teacher education classrooms and adopts an interdisciplinary approach for media and gender. A module was developed and then implemented with 30 preservice teachers, followed by focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with 10 teacher educators. The research study is guided by Methodology for Interdisciplinary Research (MIR) …

Criteria For Determining The Level Of Media Literacy Development Of Students In The Summative Assessment System, Bakhtiyor Kadirov, Dilnoza Kadirova, Rashid Omanov, Anvar Allamurodov, Asqar Kholturayev

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

The integration of digital technologies into education necessitates how students’ media literacy is developed and assessed. High school students require skills in critical thinking, digital content evaluation, and the identification of manipulative information.This study examines the effectiveness of summative assessment in measuring media literacy skills and explores the impact of an artificial intelligence-based digital platform enriched with augmented and virtual reality modules. An empirical design was employed involving 120 students from five schools assigned to control and experimental groups. The experimental group engaged with AI-supported media literacy platform over a ten-week period. Data were collected through pre- , post-tests, summative …

Genocide In Gaza? Social Media Discussions Of Violence In Israel And Gaza, Timothy Williams, Andreas Dafnos

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This article conducts social network and topic analyses of German-language posts on X that discuss genocide and terrorism in Israel and Gaza in the first six months after the October 7 attacks and compares these to broader English-language discourses on the platform. The comparison reveals subtle differences in how Israeli violence and governance and Palestinians are discussed and who is seen as complicit in supporting violence. Markedly, German-language posts discuss what constitutes antisemitism more and employ a more restrained language towards Israel as a state and its political actors than English-language posts. We tie these findings back to the idiosyncrasies …

Beyond Technical Proficiency: A Multidimensional Analysis Of Digital Citizenship And Civic Engagement Among South Korean College Students, Author Information Removed

JMLE Submissions Open for Review

This study investigates how specific sub-dimensions of digital citizenship predict civic engagement among South Korean college students (N=497). Using hierarchical multiple regression with gender and SNS usage time as covariates, this research analyzes four subdimensions of digital citizenship—digital literacy, participation, critical perspective, and ethics—alongside three layers of civic engagement: sense of community, social responsibility, and sociopolitical participation. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that while digital literacy functions as a baseline competency, digital participation and digital ethics serve as the most consistent predictors of civic engagement. Notably, digital participation was strongly associated with sociopolitical action, suggesting a meaningful spillover effect, while a …