Mass Communication Commons^™

Get Schooled: A Visual Social Semiotic Analysis Of Target's Branding Using Instagram, Chelsea Bevins

Masters Theses

With new technology arising, brands must be able to adapt to them. This thesis will break down brand management, using David Aaker's framework, of the Target Corporation to see if they are using modern resource, Instagram effectively. This thesis will also look at how the theory of visual social semiotics, applied to communications, is used to decipher intended meaning. Brand management embodies a company and people are driven by what a brand portrays. People are driven by values, emotions and quality within a brand. People associate products with memories, celebrities, attributes and symbols. Brands are more than just a name. …

A Case Analysis Of The Foundational Ministry Principles Of Rev. Jerry Falwell From 1956-1966, Iain Lyttle

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research examines principles employed by Dr. Jerry Lamond Falwell between 1956 and 1966 and the early developmental stages of his church, Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC). The foundation built during these formative years facilitated precipitous growth within the church plant for decades, allowing TRBC to become one of America’s most prominent megachurches and to found Liberty University, the world’s largest evangelical university. As church plants are more likely to fail than to succeed, this research aimed to investigate key characteristics of a church planter who was highly successful, which can be replicated. Using primarily twenty-three interviews of TRBC congregants …

Blaming Halo: The Effects Of Violent Video Games And What Should Be Done About Them, Jonathan F. Kirk

Senior Honors Theses

In the wake of such incidents as the Newtown, Connecticut and Aurora, Colorado, shootings, much scrutiny has been applied to the topic of violent video games, because there appears to be a link between school shooters and video games that contain gratuitous violence. This paper examines the alleged link between video game violence and real-world violence.

Copious amounts of research have been dedicated to this topic. Although many researchers conclude that violent video games lead to increases in aggression, a causal link between violent video games and real-life acts of violence remains unseen. This paper explores the origins of this …

Quench The Thirst: A Content Analysis Of The Persuasive Techniques Of Unicef's Tap Project, Rachel Chadalavada

Masters Theses

This study analyzes the persuasive techniques utilized by UNICEF's Tap Project. This water related campaign began in 2007 and since then has created four themes. These themes are: Dine out, Celebrity Tap, Facebook Push and Cellphone Challenge. The study finds that the videos employed by the Tap Project portray all six Facets of Effects. However, their usage was based on the message that was being delivered. That said, not all videos utilized all of the facets. This implies that an advertisement need not necessarily use all six Facets of Effects to be successful. The facet of association however, stood out …

Lights, Camera, Vote: An Agenda-Setting Analysis Of Celebrity Endorsements And News Correlation During The 2012 Presidential Election, Amanda Jacobsen

Masters Theses

Many studies have been done in order to prove the idea that celebrity endorsements can affect elections; however little research has exposed the ongoing correlation between entertainment and news media in America. This research investigates the strong correlation between entertainment websites and mainstream news websites during the 2012 United States presidential election by way of celebrity endorsements. The sources examined included celebrity, entertainment journalism sites such as The Huffington Post, People and E! as compared to networks; ABC News, NBC News, Fox News, CNN and CBS News. Twelve celebrities were chosen by means of their given Q Score. Their announced …

Disease, War, And Famine In The Sudan And Haiti: A Crisis Noticed And A Crisis Ignored, Melissa Whalen

Masters Theses

The media acts as a gatekeeper and decides what material to cover and what not to cover. In order to better understand why one disaster receives media coverage and another crisis is virtually unnoticed by the media, the motives behind covering one story over another is analyzed in this study. Three major American newspaper articles concerning the Haitian earthquake and the crisis in Darfur are examined in order to discover the media's motives for covering Haiti over Darfur.

The Tweet's The Thing: Exploring The Intersection Of Social Media And Broadway, Hilary Sutton

Masters Theses

In 2009 the little known Broadway musical Next to Normal rose to fame through the aid of an unprecedented Twitter campaign conducted by Situation Interactive, a digital marketing agency. The Next to Normal Twitter account gathered over one million followers throughout a six-week campaign in which the Situation Interactive team joined forces with the book writer and lyricist of Next to Normal to recreate the plot in one hundred and forty-character snippets. By analyzing the data collected the researcher cultivates a collection of best practices for running a successful Twitter marketing campaign for a live experience.

Fifteen Percent Or More: A Content Analysis Of Geico's Commercial Advertising, Paul Davis

Masters Theses

In this media saturated world which is lived in today, the general public is bombarded by a multitude of advertisements. This thesis was conducted to examine Geico's commercial advertising looking specifically at their use of humor. The Elaboration Likelihood Model and the Humorous Message Taxonomy were used to conduct this content analysis. The research examined the route of persuasion and elaboration that were used in 60 Geico commercials from five of their most recent campaigns. The Humorous Message Taxonomy helped to establish which types of humor were being used along with the processes and relationship between elements. Three research questions …

Unleashing The Power Of Social Media Marketing Within Non-Profits, Through The Lens Of Social Cognitive Theory, Kerah Kemmerer

Masters Theses

While many organizations still struggle to effectively incorporate the present-day promotional framework of social media marketing, research reveals that non-profit organizations are lagging even further behind when it comes to the implementation of effective social media and interactive marketing strategies. The interactive marketing strategy model incorporates technology and media-based tactics designed to enhance marketing strategies within any industry. In this project, the primary researcher explored why non-profits are struggling to incorporate these specific strategies, and considered it through the lens of social cognitive theory. The purpose of this project was to focus on a specific non-profit organization and apply the …

The Mouse Who Ruled His Kingdom: An Agenda Setting Analysis Of The Walt Disney World Company, Jacob Overbey

Masters Theses

People are seeking their news in more social environments, but very little research has been conducted on agenda setting and online environments. This thesis examined the agenda setting relationship between an organization on Twitter, @WaltDisneyWorld (i.e., The Walt Disney World) and public opinion on Twitter. The relationship was examined using Twitter's database of tweets to measure public opinion on Twitter. Since the news media is losing steam on the ability to break news, and social media is growing rapidly, this study tested the value of the agenda setting theory on social media. To this end, this thesis qualitatively examined the …

Media Convergence Of Newspapers: A Content Analysis Of The Houston Chronicle's Print- And Web-Based Content, Amanda Sullivan

Masters Theses

The channels of news media have changed. The traditional route of receiving news via a newspaper has evolved into a more digital path, leaving many to question the future of the print publication. This study evaluates the print- and Web-based content of the Houston Chronicle. The researcher adds to the field of research on news media by analyzing the online and print content of the publication, creating a new way to categorize and evaluate the subject matter by placing it into four categories: repetition, adaptation, representation, and unique. The researcher seeks to answer three research questions, discovering how each medium …

You Sir Are A Fine Young Gentleman. Thank You, My Lady: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Eighteenth Century Conversations Regarding Gentility And Gender, Kati Overbey

Masters Theses

This study rhetorically analyzed the eighteenth century work of Richard Steele and Joseph Addison's The Spectator and Eliza Haywood's The Female Spectator using Kathleen Turner's framework for rhetorical history as social criticism integrating text and context. Ten essays from The Spectator as well as ten essays from The Female Spectator were selected based on content and subject matter regarding manners and gentility. When Turner's framework for analysis was applied to the essays, defining characteristics of gentility were revealed. A presentation of the results of the textual and contextual analysis of these twenty selected essays is provided. An analysis of the …

Influence Of American Media Upon Korean Broadcasting Culture - Analyzing 'American Idol' Vs. 'Superstar K Ii', Han Na Shin

Masters Theses

This study examines the influence of American media on Korean broadcasting culture, based on analysis of American Idol and SuperStar K Season II. Viewer ratings were analyzed to find out the popularity of American programs in South Korea. Web-based surveys and individual interviews were analyzed to figure out the difference between both programs and its influence upon Korean viewers. The result shows that American programs currently influence the Korean media and Korean viewers, and that influence is getting more produced. With those findings, the study concludes it affects Korean viewers and Korean society as well. Audition programs become one of …

Bears, Baby Carrots, And The Colbert Bump: An Analysis On Stephen Colbert's Use Of Humor To Set The Public's Political Agenda, Dominique Mckay

Masters Theses

In recent years, political satire has risen in popularity and recognition as an effective means of transmitting political news to a younger generation of voters. This recent development brings forth new questions about the role of political satire in setting the public's political agenda. Using Agenda-Setting Theory as a framework, this study takes The Colbert Report, one of the most popular satire television shows of this generation, and analyzes it for a possible political agenda. In the end, what this study finds is that in the six weeks leading up to the 2008 U.S. presidential election The Colbert Report chose …

The Cnn Effect: Mass Media And Humanitarian Aid, Jared R. Bredeson

Senior Honors Theses

Mass media have great power and great responsibility. The CNN Effect states that when news media broadcast emotionally driven stories of human crisis, this provokes a major response by domestic audiences and political elites. This power to influence public policy can help save people from danger and even death. Acts of massive genocide were committed in Rwanda and Darfur. Because the media failed to act quickly and report accurately on these situations, many people lost their lives due to slow international reaction. News media need to learn from these tragic mistakes and never let genocide go on unnoticed by those …

Individualism And Collectivism In Chinese And American Advertisements, Siu Yu Hsu

Masters Theses

This study examined the different values in TV advertisements targeting younger Chinese (13-29), Older Chinese (55 or above), Younger Americans (13-34), and older Americans (55 or above) using Hofstede's (1984) individualism-collectivism dimensions. With the open door policy imposed in China, younger Chinese became Westernized. A content analysis of 566 TV ads was examined to test the degree of individualism, collectivism, modernity themes, and traditional themes in TV ads among the four target groups. Three hypotheses and one research question guiding this study proposed that TV ads targeting younger Chinese would score higher in individualism and modernity; TV ads targeting older …

Bridging The Gap: Intercultural Friendship Between Chinese And Americans, Zhuo Feng Li

Masters Theses

This research aims to explore Chinese and American students' intercultural friendship experiences on a U.S. campus. Twenty-five Chinese international students and twenty-five U.S. nationals participated in the study. Q-methodology was adopted in this research. Three of Hosftede's cultural dimensions (low/high power distance, individualism/collective, and masculinity/femininity) and Hall's concept of low/high context culture were used as a theoretical framework for this study. First, qualities that Chinese and Americans consider important in their friendships in each of their own culture were identified. Then this study found out that long-established expectations and understanding of friendship of both Chinese and Americans were challenged while …

Breaking Down The Walls: Divorce And The Effects It Had On A Child's Communication In Relationships Outside Of The Family, Jennifer Maddox

Masters Theses

There is no question that divorce is prevalent in our society today. This paper discussed a study about the effects divorce has on an adolescent girl's communication with adults outside of her family. The hypothesis was that divorce negatively effects a child's communication with adults outside of their family. The two methodologies used to conduct this study were Narrative Analysis and Q-sort. The ten participants for the Narrative Analysis method were asked whether they thought their parents divorce effected their communication with adults outside of their family, and whether the effect was negative or positive. They were also asked to …

Media Effects And Effectors A Study On The Possible Effects Of Media And The Intent Of Future Media Effectors To Use Media To Influence Others, Danielle Bringham

Senior Honors Theses

Almost everyone watches or listens to various forms of media every day, whether this comes in the form of television, radio, print, or movies. Not only is mostly everyone exposed to media, but also the typical American spends at least several hours a day in exposure to some kind of media. All this time Americans spend watching or listening to media raises the question: “If someone spends hours each day watching television or watching some other sort of media, is this going to have some sort of effect?” This study begins with a literature review of research which investigates the …

Joss Whedon: Finding Religious Themes In A Science Fiction Universe, Amanda M. Baker

Senior Honors Theses

Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other science fiction television shows, is a devout atheist but still manages to weave religious themes throughout his work, including redemption, free will, and Christ figures. This paper will examine the different themes from Whedon’s shows and encourage the reader to look beyond the entertainment aspect and into the deeper moral meaning of the situations he creates.

Viewing The World Through Oprah's Eyes: A Framing Analysis Of The Spiritual Views Of Oprah Winfrey, Marianne Jeanette Crosby

Masters Theses

Oprah Winfrey is an American icon. She has a hand in almost every form of media: movies, television, books, Internet, and radio. In her rise to success, another place that she has infiltrated is the church. Because of her wide range of influence, her thoughts and teaching on spirituality have made their way into both the home and church. Over ten years ago, talk shows had a reputation for portraying mainly negative topics. To combat this stereotype, she made a push to encourage more positive topics of discussion on her show. Yet after receiving criticism for "preaching," she withdrew from …

Is Disney Surfing The Third Wave? A Study Of The Pervasiveness Of The Third Wave Of Feminism In Disney's Female Protagonists, Emily S. Ellington

Senior Honors Theses

It is important to understand factors that have influenced Generation Y’s view of womanhood. One way to do this is to analyze third wave feminist messages portrayed by Disney, the media powerhouse. In order to determine if Disney reflects feminist values, the third wave themes portrayed in The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Pocahontas (1995), and Mulan (1999) are examined. It is concluded that Disney portrays the feminist values of independence and multiculturalism; however, the films are set within patriarchal societies and portray women to be domestic. Ultimately, Disney portrays four messages about womanhood: Women are equal …

To Watch Or Not To Watch? That Is The Question. Identifying The Common Characteristics Of The Reality Television Viewing Audience, Laura Sipple

Masters Theses

Reality television shows are increasingly appearing on network and cable outlets each sea¬son. Not only are they advancing in number, they are consistently dominating the weekly Nielsen’s Top 10 ratings as well. This study seeks to identify the reality television show viewing audience, why captivated their interest to begin watching these shows and what kept them watching week-to-week. By identifying participants who consistently watched these programs, it was believed that various themes would arise out of this study for further analysis and comparison. In-depth qualitative interviews were utilized to further explore the following areas: (1) Who are the consistent viewers …

The Rise Of Controversial Content In Film, Ashley Haygood

Masters Theses

This study looks at the change in controversial content in films during the 20th century. Original films made prior to 1968 and their remakes produced after were compared in the content areas of profanity, nudity, sexual content, alcohol and drug use, and violence. The advent of television, post-war effects and a proposed “Hollywood elite” are discussed as possible causes for the increase in controversial content. Commentary from industry professionals on the change in content is presented, along with an overview of American culture and the history of the film industry.