Mass Communication Commons^™

Requirements Specification For Dsic: Distribution System For Information And Collaboration, Alex Abrahamian

Computer Science and Software Engineering

There seems to exist an invisible barrier between people that should be connected but for whatever reasons (don't hang out in the same circles, don't go to the same meetings, or are geographically separated) haven't met each other yet.

Normally these people will only meet when others bring them together or they are thrown together on a project. DSIC aims to preempt the person discovery process by allowing a way for people to post ideas, events, and other collaborations in a single place that can then be searched by other users.

The system utilizes postings, user profiles, and a tagging …

The Umbrella Effect: The Importance Of Converging Student Media At A University, Karlee Prazak

Journalism

Journalism today is much more than a single reporter, news anchor, photographer or videographer specializing in a single skill. Journalists today need to be multimedia journalists who have skills that encompass anything from writing a story to editing video. Currently, at California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), journalism students are learning these skills, but they are learning them separately. Within the three concentrations offered by the journalism department — broadcast, news/editorial and public relations — there are the three student media outlets: Central Coast PRspectives, Cal Poly TV, KCPR radio and the Mustang Daily newspaper. Few students, however, …

Print Vs. Online Journalism: Are Believability And Accuracy Affected By Where Readers Find Information?, Burton Speakman

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Believability and accuracy of print and online news is studied via the comments of newspaper readers of a small Texas community. The readers of the Normangee Star were chosen to be the survey recipients to learn if readers in a small community had the same attitude about their local newspaper that national surveys have indicated exist about newspapers in general. The expectation was that those who read more news online would consider their local paper to be less believable and accurate than those who read little to no news online. Surveys were mailed to 200 subscribers of the Star, …

Mapping Injustice: The World Is Witness, Place-Framing, And The Politics Of Viewing On Google Earth, Joshua P. Ewalt

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Working from assumptions that inequality is often spatially informed, a set of interactive cartographies has recently proliferated on Google Earth. In this essay, I analyze one of those interactive cartographies: The World is Witness produced by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM). I read the map as an organizational rhetoric that frames place as "embedded injustice." I also argue that thorough analysis of the framing of local place on Google Earth must inherently question whether the map can create a disruption in the viewing subject. While the map presents vital information on excruciatingly despicable acts of injustice, and the …

The University Of Nebraska At Omaha's Criss Library Mobile Resources: A Study Of User's Preferences, Teonne A. Wright

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

In March of 2010 the University of Nebraska at Omaha Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library launched mCriss, the library mobile website to support the educational objectives of on-campus and distance students as well as the research goals of UNO faculty and staff. The study investigators conducted an online survey of UNO students, faculty, staff, alumni and UNO Library Friends ages 19 and older. The purpose of this study was to collect data on UNO community member use of mobile devices and UNO Criss Library mobile services, to determine if participants: are aware of the different aspects of the …

The Viral Fingerprint: A Content Analysis Of Popular Viral Advertisements, Thomas Grant Broadus Ii

Master's Theses

This paper presents an analysis of 280 online videos that appeared on the Advertising Age weekly chart of the top ten viral videos of the week; the videos appeared on the chart from March 23rd 2009 to March 9th 2011. The videos were analyzed along four areas of observation including the advertiser characteristics, the formatting characteristics of the video, the messaging strategies of each video, and the level of involvement the product would require for a consumer to make a purchase. Through examining the components of each video, a thread of commonality was revealed. Cumulatively, the dominant themes and characteristics …

Student Lunch Nutrition, Kathryn Leigh Scholte

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

Social Media: The Use Of Facebook And Twitter To Impact Political Unrest In The Middle East Through The Power Of Collaboration, Sarah Danielle Goodman

Journalism

The power of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are often overlooked and unaccounted for.  The revolutionary and unprecedented political changes in the Middle East have changed the way the world uses and now views these platforms.   This study addresses the transformation of both the Middle East and social media, alongside each other.  In addition, it discusses how young activists utilized these tools in order to unite and therefore produce radical alteration of Middle Eastern governments, what these governments did in an attempt to preserve control and how the United States got involved.

Old Media Vs. New Media: Characterizations Of Free Speech During Times Of War, Jamie A. Mercurio

Senior Honors Projects

Old Media vs. New Media: Characterizations of Free Speech During Times of War

Jamie Mercurio

Faculty Sponsor:  Dr. Ian Reyes, Communication Studies

If citizens want their voices to be heard, they must know how to make them be heard. This project will outline and discuss several situations throughout recent history in which citizens with significant statements to make managed to catch the eye of the mass media and practically become household names. Each of the cases plays upon American First Amendment rights against a backdrop of two noteworthy time periods in American history: the Vietnam War era (specifically the late …

An Iphone In A Haystack: The Uses And Gratifications Behind Farmers Using Twitter, Sarah Van Dalsem

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

The fast-growing social media site, Twitter, is growing in popularity among Americans from all walks of life, including farmers who are using it to share information with other farmers and consumers. This thesis expands on Uses and Gratifications Theory by looking at how farmers are using the social media site to promote agriculture and reach out to others. Based on a qualitative analysis completed on 22 interviews with farmers, four major purposes for using Twitter came to light: (1) Farmers are using Twitter to seek information; (2) they are using it as a tool to lead others within the agricultural …

Factors Of Adoption: Initiating Relationships Using Online Dating Sites, Rachel Lee Toyer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The present study used the Diffusion of Innovations Model to explore the circumstances that lead graduate and professional students enrolled at the a university in southern Nevada to adopt online dating services with the intent of initiating a serious commitment with a potential partner. The diffusion model was used to frame online dating as a process that people go through in acquiring knowledge about the service, forming an opinion about it, testing the service, and finally adopting the service into their daily life. Factors such as time afforded to relationships, apprehension in social situations, safety, and opinions of online dating …

Facebook And The Police: Communication In The Social Networking Era, Mari Sakiyama, Deborah K. Shaffer, Joel D. Lieberman

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

An increasing number of police departments are using Facebook to communicate with the public. As with any emerging communications technology, there is considerable variation in the usage of this medium. This study reports the results of a content analysis designed to determine how police departments are using Facebook.

Hd Radio Shouldn't Be This Hard: The High Definition Experiences Of Low Tech Community Radio, Michael Huntsberger

Faculty Presentations

Though American consumers have been hesitant to invest in HD Radio receivers, America’s radio broadcasters have spent millions of dollars to construct HD transmission facilities. Most of the investment has taken place in the commercial radio sector, but noncommercial community broadcasters with fewer capital resources have followed the trend as well, including some low power stations serving small markets. A survey of community radio stations reveals mixed levels of satisfaction and frustration with this investment in HD transmission.

Volume 22 Number 2, Newhouse Network, Spring 2010, Syracuse University S.I. Newhouse School Of Public Communications

Newsletters from School of Public Communications - Newhouse Network

In this issue: Dean's column -- 2011 Mirror awards -- Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship -- First Toner Prize awarded -- International experience -- Photographic Excellence -- Daniel Ellsberg -- CR-Z; You & Me -- The best of newspapers -- On Assignment: revolution -- SU goes to Shouth Africa -- Democracy in Action -- Professor Frank Blocca - Tron Legacy -- Let's talk -- Focus on refugees -- The "Fox Kid" -- Covering the Capitol -- Newhouse Guests -- Class notes -- report of donors

Deadly Silence: An Assessment Of Emergency Alert Systems For Lincoln County, Georgia, Gretchen B. Keneson,

Georgia Journal of Public Policy

Rural counties have a predisposition to sustaining catastrophic losses during natural emergencies. These counties tend to have poorer economic conditions that exacerbate attempts at hazard mitigation.  Emergency Alerts Systems (EAS) are the most efficient and effective ways to provide information of impending danger.  This study will compare and contrast different EAS to determine which would accommodate the needs of a community. The most successful way for most counties to alert citizens is through the use of a combination of redundant systems. For pastoral Lincoln County, Georgia the optimal systems are an alert siren and auto call capabilities.  Both of these …

Promoting A Benefit Concert With Digital Media, Aubrea Felch

Graphic Communication

The introduction of digital media in mass communication and advertising had a powerful impact on the event planning industry, specifically in the promotion of benefit concerts. Not only can digital media promote an event, but it can also help event coordinators establish an image for themselves, be used as a means of benefiting those who have donated to the cause, and enhance the event itself. All digital media can be put into several different classifications: digital audio, digital video, digital photography, Internet technology, and interactive Internet applications. This study asks the question: In what ways can an event planner use …

The Effects Of A Web Presence On Sportscasting Audiences, Adam Cavalier

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this research is to determine how much and what type of Web presence/content effectively draws listeners and viewers to the major sportscasts a station presents. Ad revenue, viewership/listenership and audience fragmentation all are conundrums in today's fluctuating media landscape. Combine those issues with the present economic crisis and the vast majority of media companies must rethink the way they do business. This research seeks to lay groundwork as to what new strategies effectively draw listeners/viewers back to the traditional media of radio and television while expanding upon the relatively new online media offerings. Furthermore, this research is …

The Logos Of The Blogosphere: Flooding The Zone, Invention, And Attention In The Lott Imbroglio, Damien S. Pfister

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This essay examines the significance of a particular metaphor, flooding the zone, which gained prominence as an account of bloggers' argumentative prowess in the wake of Senator Trent Lott's toast at Strom Thurmond's centennial birthday party. I situate the growth of the blogosphere in the context of the political economy of the institutional mass media at the time and argue that the blogosphere is an alternative site for the invention of public argument. By providing an account of how the blogosphere serves as a site of invention by flooding the zone with densely interlinked coverage of a controversy, this essay …

Community Newspapers Play Significant Role In Election, Lee Shaker

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article compares coverage of the 2007 Philadelphia mayoral campaign in the city's major daily and community newspapers. The findings show that community newspapers serve as a complement to the dailies but also prove to be sources of campaign information in their own right.

The Need For Foreign Correspondents: A Cost Benefit Analysis, Haley Petersen

Journalism

This paper includes an examination of the decline in foreign news coverage, the factors contributing to the decline, the implications of decreased coverage in a democratic society, the market for international news, and an explanation of various models of foreign correspondence in relation to the quality of work produced contrasted against the cost of production.

Advertising In Online Social Networks: A Comprehensive Overview, Silvia Stockman

Honors Scholar Theses

This paper examines characteristics of online social networking sites and their implications on advertising. The application of well known interpersonal and mass communication theories to the field allows for an in-depth look at behavioral cues and responses. The interactivity inherent in sites like Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and in other forums encourages advertisers to tap into engaging their consumers. Types of targeting and the success of word of mouth referrals are examined, as are many of the common stumbling blocks. To better understand the potential versus the problems, we conclude with an analysis of return on investment.

The Experiences Of Mississippi Weekly Newspaper Editors As They Explore And Consider Producing Internet Editions, Cassandra Denise Johnson

Dissertations

This dissertation focused on the challenges Mississippi weekly newspaper editors faced when deciding to have an online edition and the issues these editors encountered when they adopted a Web newspaper. The study expounded on four areas—the operational changes weekly newspapers have had to make to produce Web editions, the different type of newsroom staff that are needed to create both editions, the content that is going in the online edition, and the financial pressures that editors work through to keep the newspapers profitable. The study was modeled after similar studies from three organizations—the Pew Research Center, the Bivings Group, and …

The Write Moves: An Autoethnographic Examination Of The Media Industry, Danielle Gomes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis examines the current media environment through the use of adaptation theory, political economy theory, and media ecology theory. More specifically, this thesis is an autoethnography of this author‟s attempts to release content into the mass-media.

This thesis expects to find that in the current conglomerate controlled media environment content that has multi-media potential is preferred. Vertical integration is the standard in these massive media corporations. Consequently, the adaptation of content into multiple media is no longer an afterthought to creation, it is forethought.

User-Generated Video Sites Effects On Aggression And Interpersonal Relations Of Old Dominion Undergraduate Students, Christopher R. Hodge

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The use of the internet and the activities available over the internet has continuously grown since their creation. A huge proportion of our society utilizes the internet and its available activities. Specifically, as a 2009 Pew Data memo shows over half of users age 18 and over utilize the internet for personal use. The use of user generated video sites (UGVS) is no different, as the largest user-generated video community YouTube boasted in 2009 that every minute YouTube receives ten hours of uploaded video. Given the popularity of user-generated video sites, some have raised concerns about potential negative effects that …

News Images, Race, And Attribution In The Wake Of Hurricane Katrina, Eran Ben-Porath, Lee Shaker

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study looks at the effect of news images and race on the attribution of responsibility for the consequences of Hurricane Katrina. Participants, Black and White, read the same news story about the hurricane and its aftermath, manipulated to include images of White victims, Black victims, or no images at all. Participants were then asked who they felt was responsible for the humanitarian disaster after the storm. White respondents expressed less sense of government responsibility when the story included victims' images. For Black respondents this effect did not occur. Images did not affect attribution of responsibility to New Orleans' residents …

The Need For Effective Visual Communication: How Website Design Can Further The Success Of The Cal Poly Women’S Lacrosse Team, Bonnie J. Burtis

Journalism

This paper argues that an efficient and successfully built website is crucial to the future success of college sports websites. By focusing on the Cal Poly Women’s Lacrosse team and its website, visual communication research gives insight into what works and what does not. The fundamental and design elements examined include: text elements, site navigation, accessible links, presence of news, communication and graphics (visual design). These are the elements that promote success and efficiency. Compared to other websites built and maintained by teams in the women’s lacrosse league, Cal Poly’s lacks foundational website material. General website research proves this and …

Cubesat Developers' Workshop 2010, Tracy Owens, Ryan Race

Communication Studies

This project is the narrative component of the 7th Annual CubeSat Developers' Workshop 2010 planning process. It reviews the steps and team dynamics over the seven months spent coordinating the conference for the Aerospace Department. It was the first time that students from the Communcation Studies Department were brought in to help with the event, and the gap between the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Engineering was bridged.

From Books To The Web: A Comparative Analysis Of Holocaust Denial In The Internet Age, Elise Nickerson

Honors Scholar Theses

An analysis of print Holocaust denial literature as it compares to internet Holocaust denial, with a focus on how the transition from print literature to the internet has affected Holocaust denial.

Politics & Poverty: Is The New Media Changing The Message? An Analysis Of Framing In New Media News, Jessica Wheeler

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

Many media researchers have turned their attention to new media, specifically how the proliferation of blogs has changed the way media inuences the public agenda. Less attention has been paid to how blogs and new media are changing the way news is framed and reported. In a preliminary case study two elements of political news reporting on blogs were explored: 1) Do political blogs focus more on insider information and process news than traditional media’s online news outlets? 2) What implications, if any, does this dierence have on the value of the information in assisting the audience form opinions about …

Hd Radio Vs. Public Radio Player, Michael Huntsberger

Faculty Presentations

For more than five years, U.S. radio broadcasters have devoted time and resources to marketing and promoting HD Radio technology to consumers and listeners. At the same time, broadcasters and other providers have developed applications for wired and wireless devices that allow listeners to experience radio and radio-like services from around the globe. This presentation examines the functionality and utility of HD Radio and online audio services, and explains why HD Radio continues to be a marginal technology.