Communication Technology and New Media Commons^™

Towards Developing A Career Technology Fit Framework And Analyzing Its Influence On Work-Related Outcomes Among It Professionals, Gunjan Tomer

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

With growing attrition rate and significant demand for skilled IT professionals, the importance of studying their behaviour has become important for both academia and industry. Despite ample amount of research, there is still a gap between theory and practice. Based on our qualitative study conducted on Indian IT professionals we propose that technology allocation might contribute in understanding the behaviour of IT professionals. We found that IT professionals evaluate the technology allocated to them based on their individual career motives. This evaluation, either positive or negative, influences their job outcomes. Further, we explored the factors that make a technology preferable …

High Technology And The Developing State: The Arrival Of Supercomputers In India, Ramesh Subramanian

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

While India has made vast strides in information technology in the last few decades, its success is mainly attributed to its software, rather than its hardware sector. In fact, India’s attempts at developing computer hardware that can match international standards have largely been unsuccessful. A notable exception is its development of a series of supercomputers that match and exceed many international standards. This paper looks at an interesting period in India’s computing history – namely the 1980s and 1990s – focusing on its development of an indigenous supercomputer. During that period, supercomputers were thought to be the sole privy of …

Responsible People Analytics For Remote-Work Decisions: A Machine-Learning Benchmark For Classifying Perceived Productivity, Ruth Menjivar, Nima Molavi, Narges Mashhadi Nejad

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

This study examines whether employee-perception survey data can support responsible people-analytics decisions about remote-work productivity. Using the public New South Wales (NSW) Remote Working Survey 2021 (N=1,512), the study benchmarks statistical and machine-learning classifiers for self-reported perceived productivity classes (same, less, or more productive when working remotely relative to onsite work), not objective output, under default, class-weighted, and resampling protocols. Main evidence comes from 5×5 repeated stratified cross-validation using macro F1 and balanced accuracy with fixed model specifications. Class-balanced separability is modest. Random Forest, CatBoost, and LightGBM form a leading cluster with overlapping confidence intervals (macro F1 ≈0.51–0.52). Affective/well-being items, …

The Value Of Personal Data Ecosystems: A Flemish Media Sector Case Study, Maarten De Mildt, Melanie Verstraete, Sofie Verbrugge, Didier Colle

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Personal Data Stores (PDSs) have been proposed as a privacy-preserving approach to data sharing that increases individual control over personal data while enabling new forms of cross-organizational collaboration. This collaboration leads to the emergence of Personal Data Ecosystems (PDEs). Despite growing interest in PDEs, limited research has examined how the organizational and economic barriers identified in prior studies manifest in practice. This paper investigates these challenges through a case study of the Flemish media sector within the Solid4Media project, which explores the use of PDSs to support data sharing and personalization across media organizations. Using a qualitative research design, data …

Creation And Representation: Rhetorical Effectiveness Of Audience Construction Within The Deaf Vlogging Community, Imani Rodriguez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Diverse minority groups use YouTube as a platform to share stories, grow brands, and develop communities online. While previous research has investigated Deaf-focused videos on YouTube, past focus has been on video genres, creator purpose, and how content engages with existing representation and stigma (Hibbard & Fels, 2011; Li et al., 2022; Souza et al., 2023; Martzos et al., 2021; Oliveira et al., 2021; Parton, 2016). There has also been research on how online communities can initiate open conversation for many minority groups that may not be possible due to location, disability, or censorship (Case, 2012).

This research focuses on …

Designing Ai-Aware Media 101 Curriculum Through Faculty–Librarian Collaboration, Miranda Gale Smith, Elizabeth Oppe

2026 Scholarly Teaching Conference: Concurrent Session Papers

This presentation explores faculty–librarian collaboration as a teaching practice. It will inform attendees about the work done by a faculty member (Elizabeth) and a Student Success & Instruction Librarian (Miranda) to design and implement an AI-aware curriculum into an existing Media 101 course at West Virginia University. This resulted in the careful integration of subject-specific and information literacy expertise into the course’s curriculum. More broadly, this is meant to illustrate that in terms of practice, treating AI-aware curriculum development as a shared, iterative process grounded in mutual respect for distinct but complementary forms of knowledge has the potential to yield …

Determinants Of Digital Piracy: An Integrated Model, C. Christopher Lee, Peiyao Chen

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Digital piracy is a form of copyright infringement, and challenges persist in addressing it effectively. Accordingly, understanding why people engage in digital piracy is crucial. Although prior studies have examined digital piracy from multiple perspectives, existing studies on the explanatory factors of digital piracy remain fragmented. To address this research gap, this study develops an integrated model that incorporates key theoretical perspectives, neutralization theory, social learning theory, and the theory of planned behavior (TPB), along with key determinants including gender, age, and the technology factor. Rather than conducting a meta-analysis of previous studies, this study adopts a survey-based approach to …

Too Warm To Win Big? Unpacking The Backer Dynamics Behind Female Crowdfunding Success Using A Warmth And Competence Perspective, Dan Liu

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

While crowdfunding is often heralded as a democratized funding avenue that empowers women with higher success rates, this study reveals a more nuanced picture of gender dynamics. The Stereotype Content Model suggests that women are often perceived as warmer but less competent. Using a large dataset from Kickstarter, we find that female-led projects can attract more backers, likely due to warmth-driven appeal, but receive smaller average contributions, potentially due to concerns about risk linked to lower perceived competence. However, the total funding raised by female-led campaigns is comparable to that of male-led ones, showing no clear advantage or disadvantage. This …

Online Community Dynamics: An Analysis Using Louvain During Major Sporting Events, Anushka Jaint, Yashodhan Karulkar, Kashish Jindal, Sri Sai Harshita Gadavarthi, Sanya Gulati

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

With the power of social media transforming the way people connect and interact with each other, the dynamics of community formation on platforms such as X during major events are of crucial importance. While social media is an increasingly key driver in determining interactions, little is known about the online influence forming and developing fan communities in high-stakes events. This study looks into the development of user communities for datasets drawn from Kaggle on two of the world’s largest sporting events: the FIFA World Cup 2022, or football, and the T20 World Cup 2022, or cricket, with the aim of …

Modern (Networked) Warfare: Its Concepts, Evolution, And Issues, Ramesh Subramanian

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

The on-going Russo-Ukraine war (February 2012-present), the recent India-Pakistan war (May 7-10, 2025), and the Israel-US attacks on Iran (June 13, 2025) have become interesting for a variety of reasons, and garnered a lot of attention in international defense publications and weapons manufacturers. To many defense analysts and defense industry professionals, these wars have become real-life testing platforms to examine and evaluate various present-day war technologies. They have opened up discussion on the future of war, the increasing use of inter-connected networks in warfare, and the increasing use of remote-operated drones in conducting surveillance and in offensive actions against …

Blockchain As A Digital Coordination Infrastructure For Project Management: A Systematic Review And Integrative Framework, Cherie Bakker Noteboom, Sai Neelima Seru, Aravindh Sekar

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Blockchain technology has gained increasing attention as a digital infrastructure capable of improving transparency, trust, and coordination in complex, multi-organizational project environments. However, existing research on blockchain-enabled project management remains fragmented and industry-focused, providing limited guidance for organizational adoption and integration. This study addresses this gap through a systematic literature review of 29 peer-reviewed studies, following PRISMA guidelines, to examine how blockchain capabilities are incorporated into project management practices across industries and maturity stages.

Grounded in Resource-Based View and Coordination Theory, the analysis employs a feature-to-process mapping approach to link six core blockchain capabilities—decentralization, transparency, immutability, smart contracts, traceability, and …

Does Digital Innovation Matter For Hospital Efficiency? Evidence From U.S. Hospitals, C. Christopher Lee, Shihui Fan, Jung Young Lee, David W. Hwang

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Purpose – This study examines the impact of digital innovation on hospital performance, providing evidence to guide healthcare administrators and policymakers in making informed decisions regarding digital investment.

Design/Methodology/Approach – Using data from the 2020 American Hospital Association (AHA) U.S. Hospital Survey and the 2019 AHA Information Technology Survey, we empirically analyze the relationship between five dimensions of digital innovation—automation, cybersecurity, telehealth, health information exchange (HIE), and IT spending—and three efficiency indicators: occupancy rate, capacity productivity, and manpower productivity.

Findings – The results show that digital innovation has varying effects on hospital efficiency. Automation is positively associated with capacity and …

The Crowdfunding Paradox In Crisis: Rising Funder Demand Vs. Declining Entrepreneur Supply, Dan Liu, Guangzhi Shang, Cynthia Fan Yang

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

This study investigates how the crowdfunding marketplace responds to major crises, focusing on behavioral shifts among funders and entrepreneurs. Results show a dual impact on platform dynamics. On the demand side, funders become more engaged, with notable increases in the number of backers, average contributions, and total pledge amounts. This heightened activity suggests stronger altruistic motivations, as individuals view crowdfunding as a way to support others during difficult times. On the supply side, however, entrepreneurs act more cautiously, leading to a decline in new project launches. This drop likely reflects increased risk aversion and uncertainty as creators navigate volatile conditions. …

Provoking Generative Ai Futures: Merging Theory And Praxis, Regina M. Luttrell Ph.D., Nick Bowman

Media Studies - All Scholarship

An accessible exploration of the myriad applications and challenges of generative AI for media and communication students, scholars, and practitioners alike.

The latest emergence of increasingly low-cost and scalable AI technologies presents a point of both celebration and concern for the contemporary media and information ecosystem. To this end, this edited volume gathers media and communications scholars and practitioners to engage in discussions and exchange ideas about current trends and developments in the field. Questions this volume asks include: What are the essentials of generative AI from a media and communication perspective? How has generative AI influenced research and scholarship? …

The Role Of Media Literacy In Shaping Campus Student Leaders’ Perceptions Of Media Activism, Online Risks, And Social Support, Srivi Ramasubramanian, Minnie Mcmillian, Shumaila Bhatti, Shannon Burth, Julius Matthew Riles, Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz, Melody Wilson

Media Studies - All Scholarship

Campus activism by student leaders has historically played a significant role in social movements. Within contemporary contexts, media is an important site through which campus student leaders raise awareness, share relevant information, distribute online petitions, and shape public discourses on various social issues. Media literacy is an essential skill for student leaders to be effective in their activist initiatives and be able to cope with the inevitable pushback through trolling and cyberbullying that such activism would likely bring up. This survey (N = 855) with college student leaders across three universities explores how they rate themselves on media literacy skills, …

“He Will Always Love Me”: Authentic Romance And Reciprocal Love In Otome Games, Elena Yifei Zhao, Nick Bowman

Media Studies - All Scholarship

This study investigates how players construct and articulate emotionally meaningful relationships in otome games. Drawing from 293 open-ended responses from Chinese players, a thematic analysis identified six recurring themes: authentic romance, companionship, shared experience, integration into daily life, game features, and personal growth. The most dominant theme, authentic romance, reveals that players often describe otome boyfriends as emotionally responsive partners who provide validation, support, and affection. Functional descriptions of gameplay mechanics were notably disconnected from other themes (primarily emotional engagement themes). A follow-up analysis of the most popular otome games in the same …

You Are Your Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams: A Journey Beyond The Lens Blueprinting The Influence And Impact Of Media And Podcast Pedagogy On Black And Brown Creatives In Higher Education And Beyond, Diamond N. Morgan Dr.

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Explores the influence and impact of media and podcast pedagogy on Black and Brown creatives (BBC) in higher education. Grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT), the Black Creative Educational Experience (BCEEs) framework, and the conceptual lenses of sociological and public podcasting, this study examines how podcasting functions as a transformative pedagogical and sociocultural tool for storytelling, identity development, creative expression, and community building within collegiate environments. Utilizing a convergent parallel mixed methods design, the study integrates quantitative survey data from 65 participants with qualitative focus group discussions to provide a holistic understanding of participant experiences across personal, professional, academic, social, …

The Impact Of True Crime Podcasts On Cold Case Investigations And Victims' Advocacy, Kyle Gamache, Karlie Rice, Ashley Allen, Willem Pontbriand

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

True crime has long captivated public interest, evolving from sensationalized accounts in the Middle Ages to the widespread popularity of modern podcasts. This qualitative study explores the ethical complexities of true crime media by examining how it intersects with criminal investigations, public perception, and victim advocacy. Through in-depth interviews with law enforcement officers, victim advocates, and true crime content creators, the study investigates differing attitudes toward the role of podcasts in active and cold cases. Using Colaizzi’s (1978) phenomenological method, data were analyzed to uncover shared and divergent themes across professional roles. Law enforcement participants voiced concerns over web- sleuthing …

Artificial Intelligence Adoption Among Future Journalism And Mass Communications Professionals: A Tam-Based Approach To Students’ Generative Ai Adoption Intent, Chinwendu P. Akalonu

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes industries, journalism and mass communications professions are slowly adapting to these technologies. This study employs the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and AI-TAM frameworks to examine predictors of AI adoption intent among college students preparing for careers in the field. Survey results reveal that perceived usefulness, trust in AI output quality, organizational requirement, ethical awareness, and certain sociodemographic factors such as race predict AI adoption intent. Additionally, the study highlights differences in adoption intent among students in different subfields of mass communication, including journalism, advertising, and public relations. It underscores the importance of expanding traditional TAM-based …

No Screens Before Two: How First-Time Australian Parents Negotiate Enduring Digital Media Guidelines, Stephanie C. Milford, Emma Jayakumar, Harrison W. See, Lelia Green

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Digital parenting guidance often fails to reflect early caregiving realities, particularly for first-time parents navigating screentime. Although professional guidelines have shifted from rigid time limits toward co-engagement and content quality, these shifts are inconsistently communicated and poorly absorbed into public discourse. Meanwhile, technopanic narratives fuel confusion, guilt, and social judgement. While some studies link extended screen use with adverse outcomes, we examine how correlational findings become blanket prescriptions in early caregiving. Drawing on two interview rounds and three focus groups with 23 Australian first-time parents of children aged birth-to-four, and informed by a socio-ecological approach, we explore how parents interpret …

How Does Media Exposure Promote Nature Deprivation, Impacting Next Generational Social Interaction? Screen Time Vs. Green Time: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study, Mia N. Ryder

Honors Theses and Capstones

This study explores the impact social media can have on individuals' other qualities of life. This study particularly highlights its impact on in-person social engagement along with nature utilization and enjoyment, keeping in mind the corresponding benefits associated with those two variables. UNH undergraduate students were selected as participants. Participants completed surveys assessing their sense of regulation with social media consumption and reliance, their tendency to use and enjoy accessible natural resources, and their overall capacity to experience social comfort. Our survey was designed using 3 separate scales: A Green Space Enjoyment Scale, Social Comfortability Scale, and the third being …

The Complex And Multifaceted Nature Of Social Media: Perspectives From Young Adolescents, Parents And Experts, Cindy Branch-Smith, Diarmuid Hurley, Nasim Salehi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: This study explores the complex and multifaceted nature of social media use among young adolescents, drawing on the perspectives of young adolescents, parents and experts. It examines both the benefits and risks of social media and associated implications for adolescent mental health, self-development and social relationships. Methodology: A qualitative, interpretive design was utilised, using interviews across three stakeholder groups, with data analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings: The analysis identified a range of perceived opportunities, benefits and challenges associated with adolescent social media engagement. Participants highlighted its role in fostering connection, education and self-expression, alongside significant risks, including cyberbullying, …

Ethical Positionings Of Risk And Harm For Adolescents Encountering Sexual Content Online, Lelia Green, Giselle Woodley, Carmen Jacques, Elisabeth Staksrud, Liza Tsaliki, Brian O’Neill, Debra Dudek, Despina Chronaki, Thuy Dinh, Kelly Jaunzems

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper interrogates the ethical complexities of talking with 12 to 17-year-olds about sexual content online. Authors were granted ethics approval by the Edith Cowan University Human Research Ethics Committee (2019-00583-GREEN) with three other participant countries translating Australian ethical protocols into their national contexts: Greece, Ireland and Norway. This paper addresses the four national contexts and examines the ethical issues arising for different countries’ ethics procedures when researchers conduct sensitive research with adolescents. Given widespread concern around the risk that children will be ‘sexualised’ by encountering sexual content online the ethical procedures adopted in each national context, and the way …

Modeling Joint Visual Attention In Naturalistic Dyadic Interactions, Kuushini Thennakoon, Yasasi Abeysinghe, Bhanuka Mahanama, Vikas Ashok, Sampath Jayarathna

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Joint visual attention (JVA) provides important insight into how individuals coordinate attention during social interaction. Egocentric eye tracking enables the study of JVA in natural, multi-user settings. This work presents a multi-stage framework to identify and analyze JVA using egocentric video and gaze data. The approach consists of three steps: spatiotemporal tube-based visual similarity, gaze-guided object detection, and attention pattern analysis using the ambient–focal coefficient K. Results show that object-focused collaborative activities exhibit high JVA, with object detection capturing higher joint attention than visual similarity, whereas conversation-based or independent activities show lower and more fragmented joint attention. Analysis of K …

Swimming In Uncertainty: Filling Data Gaps And Providing An Educational Platform For Beach Water Quality At Tybee Island, Georgia, Lukas Roberson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

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Swimming in beaches water contaminated with high levels of bacteria can make you sick. Current monitoring at the public beaches on Tybee Island consists of weekly monitoring and enumeration of fecal indicator bacteria that takes 24 hours for results. If the number of bacteria exceed regulatory limits, a public health advisory is issued, and affected waters are retested until …

Designing Narrative-Based Ai Assistance For Sensemaking In Collaborative Environments: Case Studies In Education And Dementia Care, Dylan Edward Moore

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

This thesis addresses a gap in the human-computer interaction literature regarding the design, development, and evaluation of narrative-based AI assistance for collaborative, complex problem solving. I explore this design space through three case studies across the domains of education and dementia care. This work encompasses multi-year industry partnerships and longitudinal fieldwork, user-centered design, dataset curation, model training, and system evaluation.

Specifically, the first case study considers a story-based web platform for teaching AI literacy through peer-generated, personalized narrative scaffolding. Learners on the platform showed significant knowledge gains and other learning-related outcomes. To describe the novel design of this system, I …

Independent And Interacting Effects Of Co-Presence And Social Media 'Likes' On Online Disinhibition, Margaret M. Doheny

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Social media platforms have fundamentally transformed interpersonal communication by creating environments in which behaviors are publicly reinforced through visible social feedback systems such as “likes.” Although prior research has linked online environments with increased disinhibition and negative behavior, existing literature has primarily focused on anonymity and invisibility as the primary mechanisms underlying these effects. However, the mechanistic role of physical and psychological co-presence in driving online disinhibition has received little empirical investigation. The central aim of the present study was to determine whether reduced social presence and the selective reinforcement of negative content contribute to online disinhibition and anticipatory reward-seeking …

Online Risk And Harm For Marginalized Users: How Social Influence Amplifies Or Mitigates Vulnerability, Tangila Islam Tanni

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Social media has reshaped how people connect, communicate, and influence one another, yet these environments also create harms that disproportionately affect marginalized users. Participation in online communities can expose users to identity-based harassment, emotional distress, and the normalization of harmful attitudes, shaping identity, well-being, and participation online and offline. Prior work has documented many forms of online harm, yet less is understood about how harmful norms and behaviors are reinforced across different forms of social media interaction, from private direct messages to online communities. Guided by the Social Ecological Model, this dissertation investigates how online harms toward marginalized users emerge …

Adaptive Boundary-Aware Fact-Checker Placement For Misinformation Suppression In Social Networks, Mostafa Taghizade Firouzjaee, Ghazal Naderi, Ross Gore, Neda Moghim

School of Cybersecurity Faculty Publications

The spread of fake news on online social networks is driven by imitation-based user behavior and network topology, often leading to persistent misinformation clusters and echo chambers. In this study, we develop a spatial evolutionary game-theoretic framework in which agents update their latent opinions through payoff-biased imitation, while external fact-checkers act as non-imitative intervention nodes. Building on this formulation, we propose an adaptive, boundary-aware intervention mechanism that dynamically regulates both the density and spatial allocation of fact-checkers according to real-time system conditions. Competing information clusters are identified through local neighborhood composition, enabling boundary nodes, i.e., interfaces between fake-news and non-fake-news …

Technology-Facilitated Violence And Abuse: Portrayals And Perceptions, Christina S. Walker

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

In the past, intimate partner violence (IPV) was primarily perpetrated in person. However, due to new mediated communication technologies and capabilities like social media and artificial intelligence (AI), perpetrators can use this technology for various purposes including subjecting others to violence, harassment, and abuse. Such violence can be a form of IPV and is referred to as technology-facilitated violence and abuse (TFVA). TFVA is becoming increasingly prevalent and is encountered by a staggering percent of women. Furthermore, unlike traditional forms of IPV, even men are subjected to TFVA at increasing and disproportionate rates, particularly male teens.

In the current state …