Communication Commons^™

The International Lens Of Western Michigan University, Tesha Nowak

Honors Theses

The international students highlighted in this documentary have different stories with the same experience of studying in the United States. Some international students are at Western with family, making the transition easier for them whereas some are here alone, still trying to find the community that fits their identity. In this documentary, Western Michigan University’s (WMU) international students, will discuss their study abroad experience in the United States such as culture shock, negotiating native and new cultures and managing assumptions that Americans have about them or their cultures. Their stories will bring to light the reality of the study abroad …

Custodial Step-Grandparenting: An Autoethnography Proposal, Rachel Williams-Smith

Campus Research Month

This proposal presentation for a planned autoethnographic study will explore the unique dynamics of a personal experience in step-custodial grandparenting and other dynamics more commonly reported in the literature. In developing the study, four approaches will be used:

• Systematic introspection and emotional recall
• A review of journal entries, photographs, and videos
• Interviews with associates and friends
• Participation in interviewer interviews

Appreciative Inquiry For A Supportive Climate, Ann Liao

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

Most of the nonprofit organizations rely heavily on volunteers. In a service-learning course that works with nonprofit community partners, it is important to foster a supportive climate. Traditional problem-solving procedures typically involve identifying a problem, brainstorming for possible solutions, evaluating possible solutions, and implementation. With positive framing, a traditional problem-solving approach could be transformed by the method of appreciative inquiry. Traditional problem-solving approach is weaknesses-based, and appreciative inquiry is strengths-based. This paper demonstrates that appreciative inquiry is more effective in building a supportive climate when working with nonprofit community partners. Appreciative inquiry starts with discovering the successes of an organization, …

Communication Branches Out: Developing Interpersonal Skills Through Genealogical Research, Julian Costa, Gary Snyder

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

Communication students of the twenty-first century must not only be able to interact in multiple formats but be able to express their ideas across varied platforms. A common deterrent faced by students conducting research is the lack of applicability of the subject matter to their lives. The integration of genealogical research can address this issue because it allows students to learn about, and celebrate, their family history. While engaged in such a pursuit, students will develop core communication skills, such as speaking and listening, online research, and message design.

Uprooting Inaccessibility: Growing Awareness And Efficacy For The Use Of Health-Related Resources At A Nashville Nonprofit, Jules Leslie Webb, Caroline Driskell, Abby Ray

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

Clients of The Branch, a local 501(c)(3) that serves the Antioch community through direct aid and education, often face barriers in meeting basic needs. These barriers often include unfamiliarity with navigating basic services such as filling prescriptions or registering for health insurance online. Our team of HON 3520 students crafted visual guides to aid in navigating websites that are already commonly used by clients of The Branch. This is part of an ongoing initiative at The Branch to provide a more holistic set of services (in addition to relieving immediate food needs) that addresses the root causes of poverty and …

Persuasion Strategies Employed On Instagram By Latter-Day Saint Religious Social Media Influencers, Ashton Everett Hatch

Theses and Dissertations

A content analysis of Latter-day Saint Instagram influencers is relevant to understanding what persuasive elements religious social media influencers include in their content. Observing instances that influencers persuade, establish credibility, develop trust, forge logical arguments, and engage the emotions of followers allow influencers to understand what constitutes engaging content. This study found that Latter-day Saint Instagram influencers posted emotive content that encouraged followers to continue to engage with their content, and/or endorsed another account or organizational influencer. This combination of pathos persuasion and endorsement authenticity shows that followers seek to participate in religion online as part of their regular worship.

"This Is How The West Ends": A Content Analysis Of Conservative Youtubers Notions Of Western Excellence, Michelle Johnson

Undergraduate Research Symposium 2024

In 2023, YouTube was one of the most used social media platforms in the United States alone. While existing scholarship (Finlayson 2022) has observed linkages between right-wing social media and distrust in institutions of government, family, and others, I seek to understand how conservatives use YouTube as a means to teach their audience racialized, gendered, and nationalistic ideas about the Western hegemonic order. To examine this issue, I conducted an in-depth qualitative content analysis of three key conservative content creators: Ben Shapiro, Matt Walsh, and Michael Knowles. Two videos were chosen within each creator's profile using keyword searches such as …

Lindenwood Digest, April 17, 2024, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

The Lindenwood Digest has been a digital employee newsletter since 2009.

Applying Cultivation Theory In Determining The Relationship Between Sns Use And Optimism/Pessimism Of Adults In The United States And The Moderating/Mediating Effects Of Platform, Content, And Connections On This Relationship, Joshua A. Senne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between degree of social networking site (SNS) use and optimism/pessimism means scores from the optimism/pessimism instrument (OPI) for SNS users who are age 18+ and live in the United States. The purpose of the study was also to determine how the main type of platform used, main type of content viewed, and number of connections mediated and/or moderated this relationship. The research problem was that SNSs are becoming a prominent form of media and little research has examined how the degree of exposure to SNSs cultivate psychological states, especially in …

Over-The-Top (Ott) Networks' Influence On Shared Cultural Memory, Michael Jelani Akil Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The digital landscape underwent a profound transformation in the Over-The-Top (OTT) network era, significantly altering media consumption. This study delved into the intricate and multifaceted impact of OTT networks on society, communication theory, and socio-cultural traditions, specifically emphasizing their influence on shared cultural memory. The research was rooted in a robust methodology that combined a Qualtrics online survey disseminated across various social media platforms and in-depth interviews with 25 carefully selected participants. This rigorous approach aimed to shed light on the profound influence of OTT networks on shared cultural memory while investigating how these platforms shaped perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, and …

A Qualitative Investigation Of The Technology Acceptance Model In The U.S. Cooperative Extension Service On The Adoption Of Customer Relationship Management Systems, Aaron Weibe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research investigates the technology acceptance model (TAM) in the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service (CES) regarding the adoption of customer relationship management (CRM) systems to improve communications, outreach, and engagement with the publics and communities it serves. The CES comprises land-grant universities throughout the United States and offices in nearly every county in the country. It provides research-based educational programming to help communities of all sizes meet the challenges they face. However, many CES organizations have yet to adopt CRM technologies, leading to potential missed opportunities in improving client engagement, outreach, and communications. A thorough review of the literature of …

Fear Of The Other: Judaism And Its Role In The Horror Genre, Wesley Luka

Honors Theses

Horror films reflect the fears of their creators. Some of the first examples of the genre come out of Germany before the Second World War, a time where antisemitism was widespread. Many German filmmakers pre-Nazi Germany used the fear of the other to create movie monsters that are now classics in the horror genre, such as the Golem and Nosferatu. How Jewish representation in horror films has changed since the last century from antisemetic movie monsters to horror movies more respectfully based on Jewish folklore, is an important shift when it comes to the role Jewish representation plays in the …

Honesty In Marketing Communications: The Role Of Humor, Can Trinh

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Amid the crisis of trust in the marketplace, there have been increasing calls for advertisers to show more honesty in marketing communications. However, firms are still hesitant to follow suit out of concerns that more honesty may mean more losses than gains. Against such background, there is still scant empirical evidence about the effect of honest marketing communications on marketing outcomes to help provide practical guidance for marketers. The present research helps fill this crucial gap by examining the role of humor in honest marketing communications. Three studies in this research reveal novel insights that an interrelationship exists between humor …

The Impact Of “Humorous” Ads Featuring Social Media Influencers On Perceptions Of The Influencer, Brand, And Purchase Intention, Jason L. Snyder, Robert Forbus

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The present study explored the use of humor in social media ads that featured both a product being advertised and a social media influencer (SMI). Using extant literature and the theory of planned behavior as guides, the goal of the study was to explore the role of perceived humorousness on consumer perceptions of the SMI, the ad, the brand, and consumer purchase intentions. The experiment (N = 292) exposed self-identified males living in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 40 to one of two versions of an ad for a men’s grooming product. The ads were run …

Tackling Networked Misogyny Through Graduate Curriculum Design, Carolyn M. Cunningham

Feminist Pedagogy

This paper explores the importance of sharing feminist research through digital projects. One of the barriers of digital projects is the networked misogyny that graduate students face. This paper offers several strategies for addressing networked misogyny, including teaching about digital privacy, strategies for documenting harassment, collective engagement, and integrating trauma-informed pedagogy.

"Hey, Guys": How Youtubers Attempt To Fix Their Mistakes With Apologies And Transparasocial Relationships, Callie Day Tenney

Theses and Dissertations

YouTube apology videos from social media influencers offer a compelling perspective on personal accountability, the intricate bond between creators and viewers, and a way to take a closer look into them. This study employs the situational crisis communication theory and expands upon the trans-parasocial relationship model to elucidate how YouTubers leverage these theoretical frameworks in their apology videos. Through a qualitative thematic analysis of 30 videos spanning the last eight years on YouTube, this research seeks to identify common apology strategies, linguistic patterns, nonverbal cues, and technical aspects to uncover recurring themes and consistencies. The analysis found strong themes of …

Chimes: April 15, 2024, Calvin University

Chimes

Wiebe and Joanna Boer sue Calvin for breach of contract, defamation by Savannah Shustack

Professors circulate petition to divest from Israel by Nolan Cowan

Board of Trustees selects chair of presidential search committee by Savannah Shustack

Smoke reported in CFAC due to mechanical failure by Liana Hirner & Ewan Parker

Moving out: Not for every student by Ashley Hamons

Calvin Esports looks to build off first tournament win by Dillion Baumchen

Proposal for Calvin "Center for Faith and Technology" in the works by Jacob Westra

How far is too far? Manifestation cleverly handles questions of success and achievement by Maya …

Trajectories Of Digital Flourishing In Adolescence: The Predictive Roles Of The Developmental Changes And Digital Divide Factors, Jasmina Rosič, Lara Schreurs, Sophie H. Janicke-Bowles, Laura Vandenbosch

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Digital flourishing refers to the positive perceptions of digital communication use in five dimensions: connectedness, positive social comparison, authentic self-presentation, civil participation, and self-control. This three-wave panel study among 1081 Slovenian adolescents (M_age = 15.34 years, 53.8% boys, 80.7% ethnic majority) explored the trajectories of their digital flourishing dimensions over 1 year (2021–2022). Latent class growth analysis identified two classes. Adolescents in the first class reported high levels of digital flourishing, which remained stable over time, whereas those in the second class reported low levels of digital flourishing with decreased self-control over time. Autonomy-supportive restrictive, autonomy-supportive active, and …

Hgs-3 The Influence Of A Tandem Cycling Program In The Community On Physical And Functional Health, Therapeutic Bonds, And Quality Of Life For Individuals And Care Partners Coping With Parkinson’S Disease, Leila Djerdjour, Jennifer L. Trilk

SC Upstate Research Symposium

Purpose Statement: Several studies have shown that aerobic exercise can have a positive impact on alleviating symptoms experienced by individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite this evidence, the potential benefits of exercise for both PD patients and their care partners (PD dyad) remain unexplored. This research project investigates the effectiveness, therapeutic collaborations, and physical outcomes of a virtual reality (VR) tandem cycling program specifically designed for PD dyads.

Methods: Following approval from the Prisma Health Institutional Review Board, individuals with PD were identified and screened by clinical neurologists. The pre-testing measures for PD dyads (N=9) included emotional and cognitive status …

He Said, She Said: The Role Of Gender And Task-Oriented Communication, Bridget Hodgkin, Lauren Schiller

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Men and women are expected to communicate differently based on societal stereotypes. This has made it difficult for women to engage in task-oriented communication without receiving negative evaluations from others. The present study attempts to investigate how these expectations influence people's perceptions of messages delivered by both men and women in a collegiate setting. A mock text message within a group project hypothetical situation was sent by either a female or male. Participants only viewed one condition and were asked to rate the likability and competence of the sender based on their message. Results indicated that there were no significant …

"Flirting Or Hurting?": Perceptions Of Flirtatious Textings' Appropriateness, Alana Policastro, Kate Gaynor, Anika Verbeek, Olivia Budzisz

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

With this century's rise of technology, new texting behaviors have not only been introduced, but have grown in their capacity for emotional intensity. This emotional intensity often translates into the forming of both platonic and romantic relationships online, as the online space acts as an easier "buffer space" for the relationships to begin. Understanding more about the perceptions of flirting behavior over text messaging is essential to develop more clear boundaries for romantic partners in an increasingly online world. This study addresses the link between relationship-status and perceived level of appropriateness of varying degrees of online flirtatious behavior. Using pre-written …

Death Stranding: A New Digital Ecology, Jordan Long

Theses and Dissertations

This essay analyzes Death Stranding, the 2019 release from contemporary game auteur Hideo Kojima. Here, I discuss the unique potentialities of this game world, detailing the ways in which Death Stranding expresses ecological perspectives. Asynchronous multiplayer serves as a unique metagame, helping to prove that play is a process of action which facilitates ecological thinking. The world of Death Stranding is filled with strange objects. The nonhuman entities that the player encounters throughout the game, for example, seem entirely alien. And yet, when these entities are properly understood, we realize that their inclusion is necessary--and natural. Your "job" in the …

The National Basketball Association Communications Strategy For The 2019-20 Season Restart, Trevor Dale Jones

Theses and Dissertations

This paper analyzes the NBA's communications efforts from June 4 to July 30, 2020 as it prepared for an unprecedented season restart in the early days of a global pandemic. While scholars have examined the media's framing of the NBA in this period, there is a gap in the literature when looking at the official NBA communications strategy of the organization itself. As the first study to use risk communication theory in a sports scenario while also employing corporate social advocacy as the second theoretical basis of analysis, this qualitative study is a thematic and textual analysis of 14 NBA …

Art Vs. The Artist: Can It Be Separated?, Simon Awad, Timothy Ramfos, Antonio Popp, Ja'kaurie Kirkland

23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024)

Whether people should, or can, separate the personal lives of artists and the arts that they create is a continuous debate in contemporary society. Such questions typically arise when topics within an artist's personal life, perhaps mired in controversy, are juxtaposed with that artists' ability to create significant and even masterful works. This study aims to experimentally test the extent to which people might be able to "separate" their perceptions of artists with their perceptions of their art. A between groups experiment featuring a musical artist was conducted which exposed participants to three (3) manipulations of an artist’s background (negative, …

Comics About Organs: Social Support And Graphic Medicine In The Awkward Yeti, Jacob Gibb

Theses and Dissertations

Comic strips have always been a medium for more than humor. Many comic strips published on social media sites address mental health issues. Despite their popularity, the field of graphic medicine, which examines the intersection of health care and comics, has seen little to no examination of how these comics function on social media. Utilizing the popular comic The Awkward Yeti, this research examines how the rhetorical devices of comics make them an ideal medium for communicating about mental health issues and providing social support to social media users. This study conducts a content analysis of 15 Instagram posts from …

Human-Machine Communication: Complete Volume. Volume 7 Special Issue: Mediatization

Human-Machine Communication

This is the complete volume of HMC Volume 7. Special Issue on Mediatization

Artificial Sociality, Simone Natale, Iliana Depounti

Human-Machine Communication

This article proposes the notion of Artificial Sociality to describe communicative AI technologies that create the impression of social behavior. Existing tools that activate Artificial Sociality include, among others, Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, voice assistants, virtual influencers, socialbots and companion chatbots such as Replika. The article highlights three key issues that are likely to shape present and future debates about these technologies, as well as design practices and regulation efforts: the modelling of human sociality that foregrounds it, the problem of deception and the issue of control from the part of the users. Ethical, social and cultural …

The Perturbing Mediatization Of Voice-Based Virtual Assistants: The Case Of Alexa, Leopoldina Fortunati, Autumn P. Edwards, Chad Edwards

Human-Machine Communication

This study examines the role of voice-based assistants (VBAs), specifically Alexa, in the mediatization paradigm framework. The authors hypothesize that emerging technologies such as chatbots and VBAs intensify the process of online meta-reintermediation of news. Three research questions were investigated through a questionnaire administered to 655 university students in the US and Italy: Do participants try to get news from Alexa? Are participants aware that VBAs represent a case of meta-reintermediation of news? Does Alexa contribute to the potential hybridization of news, information, and knowledge? The analysis of 451 open-ended answers showed that only a fraction of participants searches for …

Communicative Ai And Techno-Semiotic Mediatization: Understanding The Communicative Role Of The Machine, Göran Bolin

Human-Machine Communication

Mediatization discourse has so far mainly been centered on media from institutional or social-constructionist approaches. The technological developments within communications industries coupled with the wider societal process of datafication might, however, beg for dusting off the smaller, although the long-time existing, technological approach to mediatization as a complement to the two other approaches, in order to understand aspects of automation and human-machine communication. This theoretical article explores how existing mediatization approaches can refocus to include lessons learned from human-machine communication. The first section accounts for the main mediatization approaches. The second section discusses debates on communication, artificiality, and meaning-making. The …

A New Family Member Or Just Another Digital Interface? Smart Speakers In The Lives Of Families With Young Children, Giovanna Mascheroni

Human-Machine Communication

Based on longitudinal qualitative research involving twenty families with at least one child aged eight or younger, the article provides an account of how families, as distinctive communicative figurations, adopt, use and make sense of smart speakers through diverse socially situated practices. Findings show that parents and children enter in a communicative relationship with smart speakers based on their attribution of human-like or machine-like traits to the device, and the device response to their expectations. Moreover, engaging in communicative practices through and with smart speakers, family members subvert or reinforce existing power relations. However, smart speakers acquire new agency by …