Mass Communication Commons^™

The Influence Of Social Media On The Tourism Industry: A Content Analysis Of Culinary Tourism Brands Via Instagram, Angela White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The tourism industry in the United States is constantly changing and being influenced by social media, specifically Instagram. Culinary brands use Instagram to advertise their restaurants and dishes in a creative, visual way. As a result, Instagram is now being used as a tool by tourists and both potential and current customers to share their dining experiences and find these locations based on the visual appeal. This study provides a content analysis of Instagram account information and photo composition within eight popular culinary tourism destinations by examining the strategies used by the accounts. 50 randomly selected photos were used from …

Video 101: Video Production Basics, Visually Explained, Chris Flanery

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

As video becomes more prevalent in all aspects of life, the demand for competent video production skills continues to grow. Having the technical literacy to capture professional-level video is highly sought-after and begins with proper education and training. This project found the process for learning video production often fails to maximize on its full potential. Despite being a visual medium, most individuals surveyed and interviewed for this project who work in the video production industry report visuals are rarely used to demonstrate fundamental concepts in learning video production. These same individuals and additional research indicate visual aids help illustrate many …

Model Of Inspiring Media, Mary Beth Oliver, Arthur A. Raney, Anne Bartsch, Sophie Janicke-Bowles, Markus Appel, Katherine R. Dale

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Scholars have increasingly explored the ways that media content can touch, move, and inspire audiences, leading to numerous beneficial outcomes including increased feelings of connectedness to and heightened motivations for doing good for others. Although this line of inquiry is relatively new, sufficient evidence and patterns of results have emerged such that a clearer picture of the inspiring media experience is coming into focus. This article has two primary goals. First, we seek to synthesize the existing research into a working and evolving model of inspiring media experiences reflecting five interrelated and symbiotic elements: exposure, message factors, responses, outcomes, and …

Putting The Social In Social Media: How Human Connection Triggers Engagement, Stephanie Adomavicius

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

Social media has become the preferred channel of information and has altered patterns of interaction and connection. As a result, society now revolves around a two-way form of communication with constant dialogue and instant responses. Public relations practitioners have had to adapt and change their strategy in order to keep up with the times, and because of this, engagement is now considered to be a measurement of success.

In terms of social media, engagement is how users interact with content and participate in online conversations. This study will uncover what causes people to engage on social media and identify the …

Negative Commentary—Negative Consequences: Legal Ethics, Social Media, And The Impact Of Explosive Commentary, Jan L. Jacobowitz Ms.

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

Connecting and sharing on social media has opened communication channels and provided instantaneous information to billions of people worldwide. Commentary on current events, cases, and negative online reviews may be posted in an instant, often without pause or thought about the potential repercussions. This global phenomenon may not only provide news of the day updates, humor, and support for those in need but also is replete with ethical landmines for the unwary lawyer. Lawyers commenting on current events, their cases, or responding to a client’s negative online review, have suffered damage to their careers. In some instances, they have even …

Book Review: Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto, Benjamin Thevenin

Journal of Media Literacy Education

A review of Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto (2020) written by Kevin M. Gannon.

Using Critical Media Literacy To Create A Decolonial, Anti-Racist Teaching Philosophy, Alexis Romero Walker

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Media educators must address their personal teaching philosophies to adequately participate in anti-racist pedagogy. Using critical media literacy principles, educators can be aware of student’s bodies and performance in relation to reinforced systems of whiteness in the media classroom. This article proposes ways for higher education media educators to adjust their classroom content, and classroom environment, to adopt an anti-racist, decolonial pedagogy.

Teaching Beyond Verifying Sources And “Fake News”: Critical Media Education To Challenge Media Injustices, Jeremy Stoddard, Jonathan Tunstall, Leila Walker, Emily Wight

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Current popular media literacy programs overemphasize the verifiability, reliability, and expertise of sources over the analysis of how marginalized groups are represented. This analysis privileges traditional news sources – and a hierarchy of “objective” news. These same institutions have been historically responsible for producing and reinforcing stereotypes and media injustices toward marginalized groups. These media literacy programs lack emphasis on how issues of race, oppression, and politics are represented in factually accurate sources. We demonstrate how an alternative model of critical media education can attempt to address issues of representation and media injustice within the contemporary global media ecosystem. We …

Media, Making & Movement: Bridging Media Literacy And Racial Justice Through Critical Media Project, Alison Trope, Dj Johnson, Stefanie Demetriades

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This article offers a theoretically-grounded case study considering the role of Critical Media Project (CMP) as an educational initiative and intervention that sits at the juncture of media literacy and social justice. CMP fills key gaps in media literacy education by using a critical media literacy frame to foster critical consumption, critical creation, and cultural competencies around seven key social identities (race and ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ+, socio-economic class, religion, ability and age). In turn, through a media-rich website, curriculum and other programs, CMP helps youth imagine a better future with the requisite tools, resources and power to challenge dominant systems …

The Trauma-Informed Equity-Minded Asset-Based Model (Team): The Six R’S For Social Justice-Oriented Educators, Srividya Ramasubramanian, Emily Riewestahl, Shelby Landmark

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This paper describes the Trauma-informed Equity-minded Asset-based Model (TEAM) framework for social justice-oriented educators. We draw on trauma-informed approaches to illustrate how systemic racism as systemic trauma and normative whiteness as dominant ideology are embedded in the U.S education and media institutions. From an equity-minded perspective, we critique notions such as egalitarianism, colorblind racism, neoliberal multiculturalism, and abstract liberalism. Using an asset-based model, we urge educators to avoid deficit ideologies to frame marginalized communities. The TEAM approach offers the following “Six R’s” as strategies: (1) Realizing that dominant ideologies are embedded in educational systems, (2) Recognizing the long-term effects of …

Do Media Literacies Approach Equity And Justice?, Paul Mihailidis, Srividya Ramasubramanian, Melissa Tully, Bobbie Foster, Emily Riewestahl, Patrick Johnson, Sydney Angove

Journal of Media Literacy Education

It is often assumed that media literacy serves to protect and uphold democratic practice and that media literate citizens are the best safeguards for democracy. However, little attention is paid to defining this practice and its relationship to ongoing inequities within democratic societies. In this essay, we argue media literacy operates from three core assumptions; media literacy creates knowledgeable individuals, empowers communities, and encourages democratic participation. The first assumption draws out an individual’s skills and critical thinking in media literacy practices. The second assumption focuses on the community aspect of media literacy, specifically which communities are best served by media …

Design Thinking Portfolio, Christine Ingersoll

Open Access Books

Revised in August 2024, The Design Thinking Portfolio engages learners in the design thinking process by applying problem-based learning through team engagement. This nontraditional “textbook” has interactive fillable PDF forms that engage learners in creating an artifact that showcases their understanding of design thinking. The portfolio project starts with compiling existing problems that learners wish to tackle as they work across the spectrum of design thinking to sell their best solution in a team pitch. Learners use a design thinking mindset to solve a regional social or civic issue as social entrepreneurs. Coming together and sharing their own diverse backgrounds …

“Did That Just Happen?”: Influence Of Embodiment And Immersion On Character Identification In Virtual Reality Environments, Shane Burrell

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore character identification in virtual reality (VR) in connection to embodiment and immersion. Using previous data gathered from a qualitative study investigating character roles and character identification, I conduct a mixed-method study (survey and qualitative data analysis) to operationalize the concepts of character identification, embodiment, and immersion, study their relationships, and investigate the mediating role of character identification. This study, is a step toward building and validating measurement scales for character identification, embodiment, and VR immersion, suggests future avenues for exploring how character identification shapes user experiences in VR.

Krnu: Expansion And Realignment, Kaci Richter

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

Terrestrial radio stations have undergone fundamental changes over the last three decades. The entertainment market has expanded to include more ways for content creators to reach audiences and more platforms for advertisers to promote and sell their goods and services. As listener habits have changed, radio stations have been forced to keep pace, adding owned media platforms like websites, apps and social media accounts to meet listeners where they are. This struggle is not limited to commercial radio properties. Listener habits are forever changed, and noncommercial stations are often under-resourced. 90.3 KRNU is one of those under-resourced noncommercial educational stations …

An Analysis Of The Presence Of Dialogic Communication Features On Indiana Environmental Organizations' Websites, Jessica Moon

LSU Master's Theses

Dialogic communication is a two-way form of communication that allows entities such as organizations and their publics to share their viewpoints and contribute to decision-making processes openly and equally. The Five Dialogic Principles of Public Relations (ease of use of the interface, usefulness of information, conservation of visitors, generation of return visits, and dialogic loop) is a framework that has been used to examine this form of communication online. Research has shown that organizations’ websites have a generally low presence of features related to the Five Dialogic Principles. The goal of the present study was to determine the …

The Truth(S) Behind “True Crime”: Examining The Role Of Narrative In The Retellings Of The Rafay Family Murders, Samantha L. Richard

FIMS Major Projects and Creative Projects

In April of 1995, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) launched their second ever “Mr. Big” operation: one that involves an intricate interrogation technique designed to elicit a confession from suspected criminals in cases where physical evidence cannot link the accused to the crime. The targets of this operation were suspected murderers Sebastian Burns and Atif Rafay. The highly publicized case was discussed extensively through traditional news coverage, as well as in various stories of the true crime genre. Through the use of narrative theory, this paper examines the role of narrative in the retelling of the Rafay family murders. …

The Future Of Tv And Online Video Platforms: A Study On Predictors Of Use And Interaction With Content In The Egyptian Evolving Telecomm, Media & Entertainment Industries, Hesham O. Dinana, Rasha Allam

Faculty Journal Articles

This study examines the future of TV and online video platforms in the evolving Egyptian market through using the predictors of use and interaction. Built on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, and the theory of technology discontinuities and platforms development, this study extends its framework to explore the relationship between the intention of use and the interaction with content behavior. A sample size of 396 university students answered the survey questions. Unlike other studies, the study found that the perceived ease of use (PEU) is the only variable that is positively correlated to the intention to …

“Acts Of Pure Evil”: The Portrayal Of Mass Shooting Events On Online Media Platforms, Elizabeth Twitty

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

As media continues to integrate into everyday life, it is essential to critically examine the media and the messages that are forwarded to the public, who often lack personal knowledge of crime and justice issues, and thus rely on news media to glean information. This effort, also called media criminology, seeks to understand the media and the effect it has on understanding societal issues. This project forwards media criminology by examining online news articles, as media criminology has historically focused on traditional media formats, such as newspaper and television. Online news has surpassed these traditional formats and has become a …

Annual Report, 2020-2021, University Of Mississippi. School Of Journalism And New Media

Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Visual Framing Effects Of News Coverage Of Police Use Of Deadly Force On Intergroup Relationships, Lucile Henderson, Riva Tukachinsky Forster, Leora Kalili, Simone Guillory

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

The study examines the effects of visual framing in news coverage of law enforcement use of lethal force. In a 2X2 online experiment, participants read one of four versions of a news story that included visual racial cues (images depicting a Black vs. a White victim) and a delinquent/normative frame—depicting the victim wearing attire that signifies either normative or delinquent behavior (regalia vs. a hooded sweatshirt). Both race and delinquency framing influenced the readers’ stereotype endorsement and feelings toward Black Americans. However, judgment of the police officer’s behavior solely depended on the victim’s race. These findings demonstrate the importance of …

Making Moves: Lateral Reading And Strategic Thinking During Digital Source Evaluation, Elizabeth Walsh-Moorman, Kristine Pytash

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Using screencasting videos as think-alouds, this case study explores the process three high school seniors used when tasked with evaluating digital sources. Drawing from dual level theory of literacy, the study explores the complexities involved when students are asked to conduct informal research of their source (a strategy called lateral reading) in order to improve their ability to uncover potential bias in digital sources. Results indicate that lateral reading encouraged healthy reader skepticism and slowed readers down in the review, but students lacked sophisticated online reading and research strategies.

Critical Media Literacy And Black Female Identity Construction: A Conceptual Framework For Empowerment, Equity, And Social Justice In Education, Petra A. Robinson, Ayana Allen-Handy, Kala Burrell-Craft

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This paper addresses the issues of knowledge production, which interrogate and disrupt dominant narratives that subjugate Black females related to their identity. We contextualize our discussion through the lens of critical consciousness and critical media literacy by exploring the role of popular media in identity development/imposition for Black females. We outline issues of Black female identity politics by framing them through the description of critical media literacy as a 21st century literacy, with Black Feminist Theory as our theoretical lens. Similar discussions have remained centered in the field of Media Studies and there has been inadequate attention to these issues …

Effectiveness Of Protection Motivation Theory Based: Password Hygiene Training Programme For Youth Media Literacy Education, Hee Jhee Jiow, Florence Mwagwabi, Anita Low-Lim

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This study adopts an experimental design to investigate the effectiveness of a password hygiene training programme. The password hygiene training programme adopted the Protection Motivation Theory’s framework in its development, and was delivered online to 84 students aged 13 to 16. Strength of password measures, such as time taken, and number of tries required, to crack the password, were administered pre and post intervention. The findings revealed that the password hygiene training programme was effective in changing actual password setting behaviour. This study also provided hints on which perceptual changes, based on the theory’s framework, was most influential in the …

News Media Literacy Challenges And Opportunities For Australian School Students And Teachers In The Age Of Platforms, Jocelyn Nettlefold, Kathleen Williams

Journal of Media Literacy Education

News media literacy competencies and motivation in teachers are critical to media education initiatives. This article draws on a survey of 97 primary and secondary school teachers conducted as part of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and University of Tasmania’s national Media Literacy Project in 2018. The data reveals challenges in the implementation of media literacy in classrooms, highlighting a generational divide linked to Australians’ rising consumption of news from digital sources and social media platforms. While teachers overwhelmingly say critical thinking about media is very important for students, nearly a quarter of these teachers are not engaging with news stories …

Child Participation In The Design Of Media And Information Literacy Interventions: A Scoping Review And Thematic Analysis, Linus Andersson, Martin Danielsson

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The article presents findings from a review of scientific articles about media and information literacy interventions targeted at children and adolescents. More specifically, the review centers on the quantity and quality of child participation in the design of such interventions. The findings indicate that designs with high levels of child participation constitute a minority in the sample. Most of them aim at “behavior-relevant” outcomes, e.g., reduce smoking or obesity. Interventions aimed at “media-relevant” outcomes, e.g., helping children to become competent media users, seem less widespread. Based on these findings, we argue that top-down initiatives to the promotion of media and …

Social Media As A Tool For Evangelism Among Youth And Young Adults, Trisney Bocala

Student Research

This research aims to answer the question of which social media platforms youth prefer and what types of content they prefer. Using data collected from a quantitative survey, this research seeks to identify the most-used social media platforms and most appealing formats of content so that Seventh-day Adventist churches, media organizations, and digital missionaries can more effectively utilize social media as a tool for evangelism among youth, defined as 15 to 24 years of age.

Media’S Portrayal Of Women And Its Impact On Body Image And Self-Esteem, Hannah Bareis

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This project addresses the portrayal of women in media and its damaging effects on body image and self-esteem. It raises two critical questions: What negative impact is media creating on women? What can be done to combat these destructive effects?

According to a study done by Common Sense Media, "American teens use an average of 9 hours of media daily, not including for school and homework" (Common Sense Media, 2015). This data, along with many others, shows the severity of media exposure to teens. This has brought a valuable discussion to the table. How has this impacted female body image, …

The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence In The Customer Journey: A Case Study Of Bosch Usa And Defy South Africa, Tariro S. Munyengeterwa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to gain traction and is increasingly reshaping the media and marketing communications field. While significant research has been conducted on the impact of AI in other fields, there is little empirical evidence on how AI is affecting the customer journey. The present study explored both organizations’ current use of AI tools and how customer perceptions about AI affect AI usage and adoption through the lens of diffusion of innovation theory. The research was conducted using mixed-method qualitative research. In-depth interviews and a case study content analysis were conducted to collect and analyze the data. The results …

Perilous Place: Personal Stories Point To Possible Solutions To Widespread Flooding In The Mississippi Delta, Jared Poland

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and create journalistic stories highlighting the Yazoo Backwater Pumps Projects relationship to climate change while utilizing narrative storytelling techniques. Before explaining the methodology used for conducting research and interviews, the researcher describes the influence that innovations of mass communication channels have had on the way humans form groups and persuasively advocate for their positions. The researcher describes their historical perspective of mass media innovations that were vital considerations during their discovery and investigation of this politically divisive issue. The researcher more specifically focuses on the innovations that have occurred since the digital …

How Risk-Related Statistics, As Reported In News And Social Media, Are Linked To The Use Of The Public Transit System, Prashiddhi Pokhrel

Thinking Matters Symposium

Due to the pandemic, people have started relying more on televisions, news, social media, and other news outlets for guidance. Moreover, with the increasing amount of news, data, and information there is also an increase in the amount of misleading statistics. People’s opinions and decisions significantly depend on the data, statistics, and information that they are exposed to, as well as their sources. For this project, we want to look at how information and its sources are affecting the decision made by the general public for the usage of the Portland Transit System. It is very important to know why …