Social Influence and Political Communication Commons^™

Can We Say More Now? A Closer Look At Online Public Opinion Change In China, Ran Duan

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

This study examined the pattern of online public opinion change in China by investigating the top one hit blog and its following commentaries of every day from July 2009 to March 2012 on a famous Chinese website, and then discussed potential factors that affected the formation of online public opinion. The extent of freedom of online public opinion during this period presented regular fluctuations. Whether criticisms were registered by commentators was influenced by four factors. First and most important, the negative tone of bloggers increased criticism and the positive tone decreased criticism, which shows that the news that flows from …

Idealism And Pragmatism: "Transcendent" Validity Claims In Habermas's Democratic Theory, Richard Van Barriger

Anthós

In her recent article "Realism and Idealism: Was Habermas's Communicative Turn a Move in the Wrong Direction?" Maeve Cooke examines the evolution of Jürgen Habermas’s thought over the past five decades. According to Cooke, Habermas’s so-called ‘communicative turn’ was a necessary step in his philosophy’s systematic attempt to derive a universal norm from the immanent context of human practices and institutions. In her opinion, however, Habermas’s theory is unable to achieve such "transcendence from within" due to the inherent problem of justification in his theory’s treatment of normative validity claims. Cooke believes that despite Habermas’s exhaustive efforts to provide a …

Integrating Evidence-Based Practices Into Public Relations Education, Karen Freberg, David L. Remund, Kathy Keltner-Previs

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

Public relations continue to play an essential and changing role in society, requiring the regular reassessment of the education of future public relations practitioners. Academics and practitioners often differ in how they view the public relations field, how they define the discipline, and how they view the major pedagogical approaches. This paper explores the impact of integrating three different perspectives in public relations education, including practitioner perspective, client perspective, and the evidence-based perspective. Results from students’ reaction papers and an online questionnaire suggest that integrating an evidence-based approach improves the competence and clarity of communications counsel provided by aspiring practitioners.

English-Only Legislation: The Iowa Story, Kari Lien

Honors Program Theses

This project will discuss the recent history of English-Only legislation in Iowa. Common opinions about English-Only legislation will be shared, including quotations from individuals on both sides of the English-Only debate. Finally, this project will examine the way Iowa's story of English-Only legislation raises questions about the future of this legislation in Iowa as well as the nation.

Solar Energy: A Media Analysis Of Las Vegas, Nv And Phoenix, Az, Jennifer Liese

Brookings Mountain West Publications

In recent years, large government-funded solar energy projects across the nation have received increasing media attention—especially with government funded solar projects going bankrupt. This study examines the evolution of media coverage on solar energy issues, including an analysis of political differences and the role they play within two western cities that sit at the epicenter of solar energy resources in the United States, Las Vegas and Phoenix. These cities are poised to compete for and collaborate on projects for millions of dollars in federal research funds and economic development incentives dedicated to the development of solar energy.

This study conducted …

Four Candidates, Two-Horse Race?, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

SMU Assistant Professor of Law and NMP Eugene Tan said that much is at stake for the four political parties contesting the Punggol East by-election. Regardless of how the parties seek to characterise the by-election, it will be fought on both local and national issues. Although it is a four-cornered contest, the race will effectively be a two-horse race between the Workers' Party (WP) and the incumbent People's Action Party (PAP). The by-election is also a way station for PAP and WP as they move towards the next General Election, which promises to be the real watershed election. Assistant Prof …

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Votes: Graphicacy Skills For Political Debate, Amanda Rainey, Stuart Medley

Research outputs 2013

Political campaigns are greatly influenced by changes in technology and communication, from FDR’s ‘Fireside Chats’ to JFK’s embrace of television. Now a combination of technologies allows almost everyone to create, reproduce, transform, and share images with friends and family, or with the world. Individuals and grassroots organisations can communicate using images alongside mainstream media, corporations and governments. There is now a great need for all of us to develop the visual literacy – or graphicacy – required to interpret and recreate images, to communicate as educated equals in this new political environment. Political advertising can use graphic design to make …

Bloodsport And The Michael Vick Dogfighting Case: A Critical Cultural Analysis, Wil Massey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

After law enforcement officials in Virginia found evidence of a dogfighting operation, the owner, National Football League star Michael Vick, became one of the most vilified figures in America for supporting a bloodsport that inflicts debilitating bodily harm on dogs. This thesis examines that case in light of the long human history of breeding fighting dogs for war and competitive entertainment. A content analysis was performed on a sample of news reports and opinion pieces that were published in three media outlets. Reactions to the Vick case illuminated strong popular opposition to dogfighting. Findings explore how strong anti-dogfighting views appeared …

Is The Daily Show Bad For Democracy? An Analysis Of Cynicism And Its Significance, Evan Bartlett

Honors Projects in History and Social Sciences

In recent years, satirical news programs like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart have emerged as an important development in contemporary American society, culture, and politics. Critics have argued that The Daily Show has a negative impact on the political attitudes of American citizens by making them cynical about government and the political process as a whole. As a result of these attitudes, they argue, citizens are less apt to participate in politics and, in turn, this behavior is detrimental to American democracy. The purpose of this research project is to explore the debate over whether or not The Daily …

The 2008 Us Presidential Election And New Digital Technologies: Political Campaigns As Social Movements And The Significance Of Collective Identity, Stephanie Takaragawa, Victoria Carty

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

The growing role of the Internet social networking sites (SNS) has served as a flash point for debate about the democratization of information, particularly in light of their perceived roles in the 2008 presidential election. This horizontal sharing of information undoubtedly facilitated the revival of the youth vote and volunteerism in many ways mimicking traditional grassroots approaches. While the role of the Internet SNS in mobilization efforts and information-sharing cannot be overstated, its effectiveness in creating a new “public sphere,” or transforming traditional electoral campaign strategies and communicative practices must be closely examined before generalizations about the democratization of media …

Unnecessary Evil: An Examination Of Abu Ghraib Torture Photographs As Postcolonial Resistance Rhetoric, Patrick Gerhardt Richey

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the rhetorical nature of visual artifacts in a postcolonial context. In order to examine the nature of visual artifacts as a form of resistance against static ideologies and prevailing power structures, the author uses both media and cultural artifacts created in response to photographs taken of abused prisoners at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib Correctional Facility. The dissertation adds to scholarly knowledge of communication by addressing the intersections of iconographic visual communication and postcolonial resistance rhetoric. The dissertation provides a scholarly review of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, as well as of literature explicating …

The Rancor Of Republicans, The Diatribe Of Democrats A Social Network Analysis Of Partisan Interconnectivity On Facebook, Sean Langille

Masters Theses

The Internet has played a more active role in shaping modern American political communication. With the increased popularity of social networking through websites like Facebook, more are taking to the Internet to engage in civic dialogue. This study will explore how the exchange of socially networked images, texts, and audio between Democrats and Republicans affect beliefs, behaviors and perceptions. Utilizing qualitative methodologies, the researcher interviewed ten (10) registered democrats and ten (10) registered republicans. The participants were basked ten questions and ten follow up questions. The study applied a social network analysis to evaluate how socially networked dialogue between Republicans …

Us Presidential Election 2012 Prediction Using Census Corrected Twitter Model, Junyu Choy, Michelle L. F. Cheong, Nang Laik Ma, Ping Shung Koo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

US Presidential Election 2012 has been a very tight race between the two key candidates. Therewere intense battle between the two key candidates. The election reflects the sentiment of theelectorate towards the achievements of the incumbent President Obama. The campaign lastedseveral months and the effects can be felt in the internet and twitter. The presidential debatesinjected new vigor in the challenger's campaign and successfully captured the electorate of severalstates posing a threat to the incumbent's position. Much of the sentiment in the election has beencaptured in the online discussions. In this paper, we will be using the original model described …

Death Squads And Diplomacy: An Investigation Of British Attitudes Towards Sectarian Assassinations In The 1970’S, Hannah Nelson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

I conducted my research for this paper during a three-­‐week internship at the Pat Finucane Center in Derry. I gathered evidence from a series of declassified British government documents provided to me by the center. I focus my study on the British government’s attitude towards sectarian assassinations, particularly committed by loyalist paramilitaries, in the first part of the 1970’s. I examine the issues of responding to international pressure, framing the problem, evaluating security force effectiveness, and screening strategies. I find that in the public sphere, the British government hid information to downplay the severity of loyalist-­‐led murder campaigns and instigated …

The Right Call: Baseball Coaches' Attempts To Influence Umpires, Kevin Warneke, David C. Ogden

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

On-field conversations and confrontations between baseball coaches and umpires have long been a part of the game. An umpire's decision can alter the course of the game, but little has been written about the exchanges between a coach or manager and umpire, especially in relation to theoretical considerations. This study applies management and leadership theories in exploring the strategies baseball coaches use to contest an umpire's decision. By using leadership scholar John E. Barbuto's concept of influence tactics and the various types of social power discussed by sociologists John R. French and Bertram Raven, the study also tests the congruence …

Pergeseran Budaya Komunikasi Pada Era Media Baru: Studi Kasus Penggunaan Facebook Oleh Digital Natives, Amelia Virginia

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

Sebagai sebuah media baru, Facebook memiliki platform yang berbeda dengan mediakonvensional. Platform tersebut dapat memberikan implikasi pada budaya komunikasipenggunanya, dalam penelitian ini digital natives. Sebagai generasi fasih menggunakanteknologi media baru, digital natives menggunakan Facebook sebagai sebuah mediakomunikasi. Melihat fenomena di atas, penelitian ini bermaksud untuk mengeksplorasipergeseran budaya komunikasi yang dikonstruksi oleh digital natives. Pergeseran budayaini menjadikan digital natives melakukan strategi diferensiasi media dalam berkomunikasidengan cara membedakan isi pesan dan penerima pesannya. Penelitian ini memberikan informasi mengenai nilai-nilai budaya komunikasi yang dianut oleh digital natives di Indonesia. Serta memberikan gambaran tentang budaya komunikasi yang terbentuk pada generasi muda di era media …

Dramaturgi Dalam Komunikasi Politik Walikota Solo Joko Widodo, Cahyadi Indrananto

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memahami bagaimana seorang pemimpin daerah di era desentralisasi saat ini menciptakan hubungan interaktif dengan masyarakatnya dan membangun kepercayaan mereka. Penulis melakukan pengamatan berperan-serta terhadap Walikota Surakarta (Solo) Joko Widodo (Jokowi) menggunakan bingkai teori dramaturgi Erving Goffman, yang memanfaatkan metafor teater untuk menganalisis perilaku manusia (Mulyana, 2010, h.106). Penulis mendapati bahwa melalui sikap yang tidak selamanya konsisten dengan pemahaman dramaturgi, Jokowi telah melaksanakan berbagai strategi komunikasi politik di Kota Solo.

This study aims to understand ways local leaders develop an interactional relationship to induce their faith on their people and voters. For the purpose of the study, …

Trik Lama Di Era Baru: Swasensor Dalam Jurnalisme Indonesia, Ross Tapsell

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

Meskipun Indonesia telah memasuki era demokrasi dan kebebasan pers, self-censorshiptetap eksis di praktik profesional di banyak jurnalis koran Indonesia. Indonesia memilikisejarah sensor yang panjang, terutama terkait tekanan dari Pemerintah yang mendorongjurnalis untuk melakukan swasensor terhadap karya mereka. Swasensor memang telahdidorong dan dipromosikan melalui nilai-nilai yang diinternalisir dan diinstusionalisasi dibanyak publikasi koran Indonesia. Melalui wawancara dengan para jurnalis yang bekerjauntuk koran baru dan koran yang dihidupkan kembali di Indonesia, artikel ini akanmenjelaskan bagaimana praktik ini bisa berkembang dan bertahan hingga saat ini. Bila direzim Orde Baru, agen utama dalam tekanan ini adalah Pemerintah, saat ini pemilik Koran menjadi figur kuat yang …

Robert W. Mcchesney, Ilmu Komunikasi, Dan Tradisi Kritis, Ignatius Haryanto

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

Artikel ini hendak memperkenalkan seorang tokoh ilmuwan komunikasi kritis abad XX dan XXI sekaligus juga seorang aktivis, yaitu Robert W. McChesney. Chesney adalah penulis produktif yang banyak menyoroti sekaligus mengritik industri media di Amerika yang mendominasi di dalam dan luar negeri. Chesney meneruskan tradisi ilmuwan komunikasi yang telah dirintis sebelumnya oleh Herbert Schiller dan Dallas Smythe ataupun Noam Chomsky, yang utamanya mengritik struktur kepemilikan industri media, lalu juga mengritik orientasi isi media yang terlalu komersial dan sensasional. Tulisan ini barulah melakukan suatu pemetaan awal pemikiran Chesney dan akar-akar pemikiran yang mempengaruhi Chesney, salah satunya adalah Karl Marx.

This article tries …

Media Dan Identitas: Cultural Imperialism Jepang Melalui Cosplay (Studi Terhadap Cosplayer Yang Melakukan Crossdress), Ranny Rastati

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

Tulisan ini membahas mengenai bagaimana peran media dalam membentuk identitas cosplayer dan bagaimana identitas cosplayer yang melakukan crossdress. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif, menggunakan paradigma critical-constructionism, metode studi kasus dengan teknik pengumpulan data melalui wawancara mendalam, observasi langsung, dan observasi terlibat. Konsep yang digunakan adalah konsep budaya populer termasuk di dalamnya cosplay yang merupakan salah satu bentuk soft power Jepang untuk menyebarkan budayanya ke seluruh dunia. Selain itu dilihat juga bagaimana peran media dalam pembentukan identitas, konsep identitas, konsep anak muda, serta gender dalam pakaian dan fesyen. Berdasarkan analisis yang telah dilakukan, ditemukan bahwa identitas seorang cosplayer dipengaruhi oleh media, …

Konstruksi Dan Reproduksi Maskulinitas Kelompok Muda Urban Kelas Menengah (Studi Fenomenologi Di Antara Penonton Drama Korea Selatan), Raden Ayu Wulantari

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

Karakter maskulin yang ‘lembut’, yang tumbuh dalam diri kelompok laki-laki urban kelas menengah saat ini berbeda dengan karakter maskulin yang digambarkan oleh media mainstream yang menekankan maskulinitas sebagai karakter yang tegas, keras, gagah dan macho. Kelompok muda saat ini meyakini bahwa laki-laki itu boleh saja menangis, memiliki sensitivitas, melankolis, dan lain-lain. Akibatnya, tidak jarang masyarakat mempersepsikan bahkan mengidentikkan kelompok tersebut sebagai kurang jantan. Karakter 'lembut' tersebut sudahbanyak digambarkan oleh film Korea Selatan, namun belum banyak digambarkan oleh media Indonesia. Drama Korea Selatan telah menampilkan sisi maskulinitas laki-laki Korea Selatan apa adanya dengan menunjukkan bahwa soft emotion merupakan hal yang wajar …

Jalin Merapi: Penggunaan Media Baru Dan Gerakan Sosial Penanggulangan Bencana, Mirah Mahaswari

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

mampu menjadi fasilitator gerakan sosial penanggulangan bencana di masyarakat. Secaraepistemologis, penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan teknik pengumpulandata berupa wawancara – terhadap para pegiat dan relawan Jalin Merapi, observasi, danstudi dokumen. Beragam kanal media baru yang digunakan Jalin Merapi pun diteliti untukmengetahui alur informasi yang terjadi, diantaranya: SMS Gateway, Yahoo Messenger Chat, Website, Twitter, Facebook, radio streaming, dan webcam streaming. Melalui pendekatan Covergence Theory (1981), penelitian ini juga menilik isu konvergensi media yang dihadirkan oleh Jalin Merapi, dimana beragam media baru tersebut mampu menjadi konektor antarindividu – pegiat organisasi, relawan, penyintas, donatur – yang terhubung oleh pertukaran informasi. Selain itu, …

Social Learning Theory In The Frontline Documentary “The Merchants Of Cool”, Alixe A. Wiley

Faculty Curated Undergraduate Works

In the Frontline documentary The Merchants of Cool, the relationship between major media conglomerates and their hedonistic teenage customers is examined through exploring the different tactics industries use to discover and market the next “cool” thing. Industries maintain what the documentary refers to as a “feedback loop” with their customers, which is a cyclic, supply-and-demand relationship that blurs the line between fiction and reality. It has become impossible to tell which side is imitating the other: who do the products and trends that define popular youth culture belong to? What's more, are the sexual and aggressive hormone-fueled behaviors on …

Lincoln Speeches, Allen C. Guelzo, Richard Beeman

Gettysburg College Faculty Books

As president, Abraham Lincoln endowed the American language with a vigor and moral energy that have all but disappeared from today’s public rhetoric. His words are testaments of our history, windows into his enigmatic personality, and resonant examples of the writer’s art. Renowned Lincoln and Civil War scholar Allen C. Guelzo brings together this volume of Lincoln Speeches that span the classic and obscure, the lyrical and historical, the inspirational and intellectual. The book contains everything from classic speeches that any citizen would recognize—the first debate with Stephen Douglas, the “House Divided” Speech, the Gettysburg Address, the Second Inaugural Address—to …

Purchasing Power: The Effects Of Foreign Investment On Political Development In Kazakhstan, William Curtis Sullivan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the effects of foreign direct investment on Kazakhstan's political growth. Kazakhstan's transition to a market economy was plagued by corruption, and heavy investment in the oil industry generated resource dependency concerns. The regime later began to exert control over the oil industry through renegotiated contracts and legislative changes. This enriched and empowered the regime. As a result, Kazakhstani presidentm Nursultan Nazarbayev, was able to consolidate control over the state by employing "soft authoritarian" tactics and by rewarding political supporters. The regime was able to employ these tactics because of the wealth that foreign investment created. Thus, control …

The Price Of Dissent: Freedom Of Speech And Arkansas Criminal Anarchy Arrests, Jamie Leto Kern

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Following World War I and the Bolshevik Revolutions, America's Red Scare began, inciting fanatical patriotism and an alleged threat of anarchy that gripped a nation with fear. Paranoia about communists, Socialists, and anarchists divided the country and resulted in many states, including Arkansas, passing criminal anarchy laws. Since a majority of those accused of anti-American activities were involved in labor disputes, Arkansas makes for an interesting case study; not only did it have a relative lack of labor disputes, it still passed anti-Bolshevik laws. The purpose of this research is to develop an understanding of the ways in which dissenters …

Daniel Hannan, Thomas Paine, And The Rhetoric Of Outrage, Danae Brack

Masters Theses

The purpose of this rhetorical study is to examine the textual charisma of Thomas Paine's Common Sense and Daniel Hannan's speech "The Devalued Prime Minister of a Devalued Government" and how that charisma made these artifacts successful in spreading outrage surrounding the historical and political events of their respective eras. The author uses Weber's theory of charisma filtered through Rosenberg and Hirschberg's expanded theory identifying lexical charisma, or the charisma of messages. The author analyzes Paine's and Hannan's use of persuasiveness, believability, and powerfulness, translating each of these characteristics into specific cues that can be identified in the individual texts. …

Jimmy Carter’S Post-Presidential Rhetoric: Faith-Based Rhetoric And Human Rights Foreign Policy, Daniel Eric Schabot

Dissertations

Former President James Earl Carter is well known for his rhetorical efforts to promote human rights. Carter’s human rights advocacy is motivated and sustained by his belief that God duty-bounds him to assist those less fortunate than himself. Scholars generally concede, however, that as president, Jimmy Carter’s human rights accomplishments were minimal and that he failed to develop or institute consistent policies. This dissertation compares and contrasts Carter’s presidency and postpresidency with respect to human rights accomplishments, arguing that he was better able to serve an advocacy role when out of office. Carter, free of separation of church and state …

Blind Trusts As A Model For Campaign Finance Reform, Perry Andrew Pirsch

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

In this thesis, I explore whether blind trusts present a viable option for campaign finance reform. More specifically, would either permitting (voluntary) or requiring (mandatory) anonymous donations for political campaigns allow for fully funded, yet privately funded, campaigns while preventing problems, whether real or perceived, such as buying influence (quid pro quo) or buying access, which are traditionally associated with large campaign donations? To study this question, I have examined the constitutional origins of the need to fund federal campaigns, Congress’ power to regulate campaigns under the Constitution’s Elections Clause, the constitutional protection of speech, and the concern of large …

Social Entrepreneurship In Egypt: Turning Revolutionary Ambition Into Tangible Results, Chris C. Blackwood

Capstone Collection

Social Entrepreneurship in Egypt: Turning Revolutionary Ambition into Tangible Results is a research paper that seeks to provide a model for sustainable social entrepreneurship (SE) development in Egypt and the surrounding Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The research consists of two primary areas: 1) the field of SE as a whole, along with traits shared by successful social enterprises, and 2) the modern Egyptian context, and the integration of best SE practices in the country and surrounding region during the modern revolutionary era. This is a paper that focuses on social change, and thus several social change theories …