Communication Technology and New Media Commons^™

Gen Z And Digital Distractions In The Classroom: Student Classroom Use Of Digital Devices For Non-Class Related Purposes, Bernard R. Mccoy

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

A 2019 survey of college students examined classroom-learning distractions caused by their use of digital devices for non-class purposes. The purpose of the survey, part of an on-going study, was to learn more about students’ behaviors and perceptions regarding their classroom uses of digital devices for non-class purposes. The survey included 986 respondents in 37 U.S. states and 47 respondents in Alberta, Canada. A significant feature of the study was its measurement of frequency and duration of students’ classroom digital distractions as well as respondents’ motivations for engaging in the distracting behavior. Respondents averaged 19.4% of class time using a …

Communication Under Siege: The Example Of Steven Sotloff, Frank Smyth

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

The kidnapping and murder of Steven Sotloff is one of the most horrific examples of brutality against a journalist in memory. Sotloff was captured in 2013, ending up in the hands of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. After remaining in captivity for over a year, Sotloff was executed in September 2014 by beheading a month after another captured journalist, James Foley, was also beheaded. Since Steven Sotloff’s loss, his parents have supported Hostile Environments and Emergency First Aid Training (HEFAT) for young aspiring journalists not unlike their son. The original presentation of this keynote was enhanced by …

The Political Preference Of Arkansas Farmers And Ranchers, Rachel J. Barry, Donna L. Graham

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Access to information is critical to improving production efficiency, but little is known about how farmers are informed on the policy or issues influencing programs related to farming. This research sought to determine the sources of communication used by farmers and ranchers to form opinions about agricultural policy and candidates, identify the issues important in voting, and their level of participation in the political process. Face-to-face interaction was the preferred form of communication in farm organization meetings, with friends, or farm agencies. Magazines were the preferred source of print communication, and university/extension websites were preferred for internet sources. Broadcast media …

Ireland, Broadcasting And The Spectrum Wars, Kenneth W Murphy

Articles

This paper offers an overview and evaluation of Ireland’s changing media landscape through the prism of the recent policy contestation surrounding the future use of the UHF spectrum and it’s implications for the medium of television broadcasting. The article brings into focus current policy and governance developments and their interplay with market and technological change and how they are shaping a small open European state’s adaptation to the increasingly complex national/global hybrid media ecosystem. It examines the contexts surrounding the competition for spectrum resources and its implications for the role of free to air broadcasting and mobile broadband technologies in …

The Alternative Voice: A Content Analysis Of Twitter News Accounts In Kuwait, Yousef Aldaihani

Dissertations

In response to the Agenda Setting scholars’ calls to locate innovative methods to gauge public salience in the evolving communication environment, this study used retweets, likes, and replies to measure public salience on two types of Kuwaiti Twitter news accounts: traditional newspapers accounts, and alternative news accounts. It also aimed to examine the potential effect of media salience constructs: attention, prominence, and valence on public perceived salience. The study was conducted on a 2203 systematically selected tweets from six news accounts. Results revealed that the agenda of the two types were positively significantly correlated. Social issues and politics were the …

An Examination Of Sound Resource Libraries And Their Applications At Bowling Green State University, Madeleine Grimm

Honors Projects

In this applied research project, I have explored the uses and limitations of sound resources at Bowling Green State University for student projects. My goal has been to create a stock music library for students on campus to have easy access to for class projects and portfolio work. In this project I address: How can a university best manage its stock music and sound resources; are there any standards for best practices or outstanding examples? What sound resources currently exist for student use in general and at BGSU? How are these sound resources currently managed at BGSU? What are the …

Journalistic Ethics And The Right-Wing Media, Jason Mccoy

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

This paper will examine the development of modern media ethics and will show that this set of guidelines can and perhaps should be revised and improved to match the challenges of an economic and political system that has taken advantage of guidelines such as “objective reporting” by creating too many false equivalencies. This paper will end by providing a few reforms that can create a better media environment and keep the public better informed. As it was important for journalism to improve from partisan media to objective reporting in the past, it is important today that journalism improves its practices …

Persuasion, Marita Gronnvoll

Syllabi

This class will study symbolic communication intended to influence beliefs, attitudes, values, andbehaviors. The course will focus on the critical assessment of persuasive messages, with additionalattention to the theories and research behind persuasive message construction.

Topics In Media History, Jeffrey Owens

Syllabi

Topics in Media History provides an in-depth study of the history of one particular medium (e.g. film, radio, television, or the internet). It will cover the development of media technology, the structure of media institutions and their regulation, and the social and cultural significance of these media. This class is repeatable with change in topic.

Communication & Popular Culture, Marita Gronnvoll

Syllabi

This course examines popular culture and the emergence of mass culture in the United States. Itstarts from the premise that popular culture, far from being a frivolous or debased alternative to“high culture”, is in fact an important site of popular expression, social instruction, and culturalconflict, and thus deserves critical attention. We examine theoretical texts that help us to “read”popular culture, even as we study specific forms and artifacts of popular culture: from televisionshows to Hollywood movies, graphic novels to advertisements, and popular music to fiction.Throughout the course, we ground what we call “culture” in political, economic, and socialcontexts. We pay …

Von Star City Sports Bis #Gbr: Reflektion Von Qualität Und Leistung Der Lokalen Sportberichterstattung Im Mittleren Westen Amerikas, Frauke Hachtmann

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

Good local sports journalism reflects the community it serves and thereby develops society. This essay discusses local sports journalism in the context of collegiate athletics in Nebraska in the Midwest. It is particularly important to produce good, solid journalism in the context of sport. This reflection of local sports journalism of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln uses the following themes for analysis: context, critical media work, diversity, representation in the newsroom, and the role of owned media and branding. The essay also describes the American collegiate athletic system and a new, innovative undergraduate major in „Sports Media and Communication“ at the …

Journalists’ Level Of Knowledge On Empirical Research And Opinion Polling: A Study Of Kenyan Journalists, Dane M. Kiambi

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

This study examines the level of knowledge of Kenyan political reporters on a few key concepts of empirical research and opinion polling. Although data from this study are from a nonrepresentative sample, it offers important insights into levels of knowledge on an important topic in journalism. Results indicate that 63. 4 percent of the reporters did not know that survey findings from a nonrandom or nonprobability sample cannot be generalized to the population. Another 63. 4 percent did not know that sampling error cannot be computed from data that were collected using a nonrandom sample, while 49. 3 percent did …

From Virtual To Physical: Video Game Streaming Communities, Avery Miles

Capstones

This is an exploration of the inner lives of video game streamers, how they interact with their audiences and the social phenomenon of live streaming. It encompasses streamers, viewers, professional eSports athletes and indie game designers.

www.averykmiles.com

Comparing Virtual Reality Tourism To Real-Life Experience: Effects Of Presence And Engagement On Attitude And Enjoyment, Adam Wagler, Michael D. Hanus

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

With the advent of 360-degree video technology, Virtual reality (VR) headsets can take users to locations in the real world. Despite the increasing number of virtual tourism opportunities using digital VR technology, little research has assessed the effective realism of 360-degree video tourism. This study took users on a guided audio tour of a state Capitol building. Users either took the tour via two-dimensional (2-D) video, immersive 360-degree video using a VR headset, or physically went to the location and walked around the grounds. Users were measured on spatial presence, emotional engagement with the tour, sponsor liking, and tour outreach …

Making It Pay To Be A Fan: The Political Economy Of Digital Sports Fandom And The Sports Media Industry, Andrew Mckinney

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation is a series of case studies and sociological examinations of the role that the sports media industry and mediated sport fandom plays in the political economy of the Internet. The Internet has structurally changed the way that sport fans access sport and accelerated the processes through which the capitalist actors in the sports media industry have been able to subsume them. The three case studies examined in this dissertation are examples of how digital media technologies have both helped fans become more active producers and consumers of sports and made the sports media industry an integral and vanguard …

A Video Guide To Navigating The Challenges Of A High Tech Business In Montana, Julia Quigley

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

High tech is Montana’s new frontier for entrepreneurs. Advances in technology is reducing geography as a barrier, and we are experiencing a new kind of economic growth. However, building a high tech business in Montana’s mostly rural environment presents an array of obstacles for entrepreneurs and business owners. This project addresses these challenges and offers advice from some of the state’s activists, like business advisors, state representatives, and venture capital firms. A miniseries distributed via YouTube highlights key information from several in-person interviews, and outlines why Montana is primed for a high tech boom.

Developing The Next-Generation Don Draper, Valerie K. Jones

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

Technology and the proliferation of data have transformed the advertising industry. Those with digital and analytical skills are now more employable than those with “traditional” advertising skills. At the same time, colleges and universities face increasing emphasis on job placement rates. Are advertising programs providing students with the skills needed to win jobs today and become successful employees tomorrow? Today’s “next-generation Don Drapers” must be fluent not only in creativity and big ideas but also in analysis and Big Data.

Cultivation Theory And The Effects Of Television On Children, Omneya A Shanab

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This project delves into Cultivation Theory and how it has developed over time. I looked not only at television, which was the original platform discussed in relation to the theory, but at digital and social spaces as well. As media develops as a whole I was curious to see how this theory ties into children’s development and lives in general. My main interest was children, including those in lower income and minority homes.

The Reification Of Hegemonic Masculinity Via Heteronormativity, Sexual Objectification, And Masculine Performances In Tau Kappa Epsilon Recruitment Videos, Viki Tomanov

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

Fraternity members constitute a large percentage of men who hold highly influential jobs in politics, large corporations, and the like. Since fraternities are limited to men-only, it is important to examine how masculinity is both rhetorically constructed and subsequently performed. Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE), the fraternity with the largest amount of chapters nationwide, is the focus of my analysis. Its popularity among college campuses signifies that its recruitment is successful and that, regardless of initiation into the fraternity, many men (and women) view TKE as an example of masculinity. In my analysis, I examine TKE recruitment videos from various universities …

History Of Journalism Education: An Analysis Of 100 Years Of Journalism Education, Hilary Akers Dunn

LSU Master's Theses

This quantitative content analysis uses course descriptions to find changes in journalism education at the University of Missouri, Louisiana State University, and the University of North Carolina over 100 years. This study found that there are two influencing factors that are inherent to the journalism profession: advances in technology and the maturity of the profession itself. These two influencing factors produced changes in technology used in curriculum, course focus (e.g. skill, theory, general knowledge, and history), and course topics (e.g. advertising, broadcasting, public relations, etc.) This study also found that leadership is the most influential factor of change in journalism …

Finding Meaning At Work: The Role Of Inspiring And Funny Youtube Videos On Work-Related Well-Being, Sophie Janicke-Bowles, Diana Rieger, Winston Connor Iii

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Watching online videos on social media is a common activity in today’s digital age, but its’ impact on employee well-being at work has not been investigated yet. The current study tried to fill this gap by investigating the role hedonic and eudaimonic online videos play on employee’s stress levels and well-being at work. An online experiment with 200 full time employees in the US was conducted exploring the role of inspiring affect and positive affect on three distinct well-being outcomes: subjective well-being, psychological well-being and social well-being at the workplace. A path model suggests unique effects for inspiring videos on …

The Psychology Of Marathon Television Viewing: Antecedents And Viewer Involvement, Riva Tukachinsky, Keren Eyal

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

This study focuses on the expanding trend of marathon (“binge”) television viewing. It examines the personality antecedents of such media consumption (attachment style, depression, and self-regulation deficiency) as well as the psychological experiences of marathon viewers relative to the narrative (transportation, enjoyment) and its characters (parasocial relationship, identification). In a two-study design, theoretical models of media use and involvement, on one hand, and models of media addiction, on the other hand, are applied to predict the extent of marathon viewing and to compare it with “traditional” viewing. Results advance understanding of enjoyment and involvement theory and support cognitive theories of …

To Thrive In Today’S Marketing Landscape, Embrace Schizophrenia!, Rishad Tobaccowala, Valerie Jones

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

We are entering the third connected age, powered by deep connectionsamong data, interconnected and Internet-connected objects, and engag-ing, immersive communication. Communication and media are undergoingradical transformations–influenced by artificial intelligence, the Internet ofThings, virtual and augmented reality, and voice-powered devices–and asa result, the advertising landscape is transforming as well. Brands connectdirectly with consumers, built on rich, data-driven relationships. As theway brands are built changes, so must the skill sets and approachesneeded for building and advertising brands. We outline a new model forsuccess and discuss future challenges and opportunities for academics, stu-dents, and professionals, to thrive.

Media Criticism And Morality Policing On Twitter: Fan Responses To 'How To Get Away With Murder', Melissa Ames

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

In an alarmist age when tirades about society's eroding ethics areabundant, the media is often a scapegoat for those who fear that cultural valuesare disintegrating. For decades, from reality television's debauchery to celebrityprogramming's narcissism to fictional drama's excessive violence, television hasbeen blamed for contributing to society's so-called moral decline. Recently, concernhas expanded from content to include twenty-first century television viewingpractices. Studies argue that binge watching television leads to antisocial dispositions,depression, and immorality. Likewise, social media is credited forcreating a generation of narcissists and prompting increased levels of depression,jealousy, and apathy. Television viewing today often entails double screening - whereinviewers are …

In Media Res, Christopher Andrew Sisk

Theses and Dissertations

We are inundated by a constant feed of media that responds and adapts in real time to the impulses of our psyches and the dimensions of our devices. Beneath the surface, this stream of information is directed by hidden, automated controls and steered by political agendas. The transmission of information has evolved into a spiral of entropy, and the boundaries between author, content, platform, and receiver have blurred. This reductive space of responsive media is a catalyst for immense political and cultural change, causing us to question our notions of authority, truth, and reality.

Adapting To Change In The Swiss German Media Industry: Identifying And Developing Competencies Needed By Journalists And Editors To Cope With Future Market Needs - A Collective Case Study, Christiane E. Theiss

Dissertations

The global media industry has undergone a tremendous change and massive upheaval during the last two decades. On the one side, media consumption has changed immensely and on the other side, media convergence appeared, a phenomenon which describes the merge of different media production genres (print, TV, radio, digital).

Using a qualitative collective case study approach, this study was able to explore and depict competencies needed by journalists for coping with media convergence in the Swiss German media industry. The requirements for convergent work are the following seven competency themes: technical skills, social and emotional skills, cognitive skills, writing and …

Smart-Teleprompter: An Online Teleprompter With Text Editing, Mikyla Wilfred

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Mikyla Wilfred

Major: Computer Science

Project Sponsor: Dr. Collard

Number of Project Credits: 3

Smart-Teleprompter

The smart-teleprompter is a website that allows a logged in user to edit text files as well as teleprompt them straight to the screen. A teleprompter is used by newscasters and other media professionals to read scripts while still looking at or near the camera. My project uses this concept creating a page that defaults to white font on a black background that can scroll through the script. The website allows the logged in user to save defaults of font color, background color, font style …

Voice-Activated Change: Marketing In The Age Of Artificial Intelligence And Virtual Assistants, Valerie K. Jones

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

The Internet of Things promises to make relationships with technology more personal than ever. Voice-controlled virtual or artificial intelligence assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant execute the commands of their users, providing information, entertainment, utility, and convenience while enabling consumers to bypass the advertising they would typically see on a screen. This “screen-less” communication presents significant challenges for brands used to “pushing” messages to audiences in exchange for the content they seek in hopes of creating preference. It also raises ethical questions about data collection, usage, and privacy. Little is known about the role marketing will play in …

Country Reputation Management: Developing A Scale For Measuring The Reputation Of Four African Countries In The United States, Dane M. Kiambi, Autumn Shafer

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

This study extends the development of country reputation measurement to other cultural contexts, specifically among sub-Saharan African countries that have shown the desire to improve their reputation in the United States and other Western nations. Although effective management of a country’s reputation lies in its ability to measure the perceptions of its target publics, there is currently no established scale that can be relied upon for such measurement of sub-Saharan African countries. In this study, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted using second-order latent variables, and based on the goodness-of-fit indices, it was established that all four models for …

Repackaging The Reach Of Dreams: News Coverage Of Daca Rescindment By Three National Newspapers On Twitter, Megan Pietruszewski

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This thesis examines the frames used by three news organizations to cover the rescindment of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The rescindment of DACA was a pivotal transition period open to new immigration policy, and frames used in the news coverage of DACA are important as frames influence public opinion and possible future immigration policy. This study uses corpus linguistic methods and Van Gorp’s inductive framing analysis to explore how a complex political decision like DACA rescindment is covered in condensed news stories on Twitter as well as in full-length news articles. The Executive Critique frame, which …