Social Media Commons^™

Tikking The Tok And Leading The Way: Teacherpreneurs Leading On Tiktok, Jori S. Beck, Derrick Riddle

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Teacher shortages in the United States have increased the need for resources for teachers just learning to teach. The purpose of this study was to explore how teacherpreneurs, a type of teacher leader, are leading on TikTok. We grounded this study in the research on teacher leadership, including the five waves of teacher leadership and the most recent development of teacherpreneurship, as well as social media influencers. We qualitatively analyzed 300 videos from 30 different teacherpreneuers to determine the following themes: diverse narratives, entertainment, instructional resources, and advocacy. We describe implications for practice, including teacher preparation, as well as future …

Data Security In The Apple Ecosystem: An Evaluation, Kayrene Woods

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of data security within the Apple ecosystem, focusing on the company’s privacy policies, user perceptions, and the effectiveness of its App Store review processes. Employing an interdisciplinary methodology, the research examines Apple’s commitment to data protection, emphasizing transparency and user trust. A survey of user experiences revealed varying levels of engagement and understanding of Apple’s privacy practices, with only 32.8% of respondents having read the Privacy Policy and mixed opinions on its clarity. Additionally, concerns persist about third-party app security, with 39.7% of users expressing apprehension and skepticism about Apple’s App Store review process. …

Three Characters And Me(Me): Positioning Popular Culture To Unpack Emerging Teacher Identity, Gillian E. Mertens, Henry (Cody) C. Miller

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

In this article we narrate an instructional practice we implemented in two different teacher education courses that facilitated conversations about teacher identity through the use of fictional characters who were educators. This practice served two purposes in our course work: firstly, this activity presents students with an opportunity to demonstrate their media interests and career goals; secondly, this activity provides a quick, baseline assessment of how aspiring teachers view their profession and future practice. We detail student responses to this activity and consider how their choices of fictional educators fit into broader patterns we see in popular culture, specifically depictions …

Hell You Talmbout: Mixtapes As Method For Online Environmental Justice Pedagogy, Elspeth Iralu, Caitlin Grann

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

This paper takes on the mixtape as a pedagogical method for approaching urgent and critical topics within the undergraduate online classroom. Drawing on two case studies from different sections of an introductory course on environmental and social justice taught in an American studies department, we demonstrate how mixtape-inspired assignments offer a method for theorizing and enacting the connections between popular culture and critical scholarship around injustice in the humanities and social sciences while also altering the space of the classroom to promote deeper student engagement, comprehension, and reflection. We argue that introducing popular culture as both content and method within …

Using News To Start Class: How Small Daily Interactions Affect Larger Classroom Interactions, Laura M. Dumin

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

In 2013, I added an extra credit assignment to my freshmen composition classes encouraging students to bring in news stories each class period; this assignment was designed to encourage students to be more willing to participate in classroom discussions. We then spent the first few minutes of each class discussing the stories they brought. After using this assignment for a few years, I had anecdotal evidence to suggest that my students were generally more talkative in class after the first week or two of sharing news. These experiences made me want to see if I could measure some change or …

The Psychological Impacts Of Algorithmic And Ai-Driven Social Media On Teenagers: A Call To Action, Sunil Arora, Sahil Arora, John Hastings

Research & Publications

This study investigates the meta-issues surrounding social media, which, while theoretically designed to enhance social interactions and improve our social lives by facilitating the sharing of personal experiences and life events, often results in adverse psychological impacts. Our investigation reveals a paradoxical outcome: rather than fostering closer relationships and improving social lives, the algorithms and structures that underlie social media platforms inadvertently contribute to a profound psychological impact on individuals, influencing them in unforeseen ways. This phenomenon is particularly pronounced among teenagers, who are disproportionately affected by curated online personas, peer pressure to present a perfect digital image, and the …

Considering Ai For The Classroom To Boost Civic Learning And Democratic Engagement, Joseph P. Zompetti, Lance R. Lippert, Stephen K. Hunt

eJournal of Public Affairs

Artificial Intelligence (AI) poses significant risks to society generally and higher education specifically. However, it offers potential benefits in terms of students’ civic learning and democratic engagement. By equipping students with the skills to use AI for the common good and fostering their awareness of the potential dangers of AI, we can bolster democracy. In this article, we explore the status quo along with expectations and near-term predictions for AI. Next, we explore some of the most significant and common concerns related to AI. Finally, we draw upon a variety of resources, identify “best practices,” analyze the strengths and weaknesses …

Sport Social Hub: Using The Power Of Collaboration To Develop Hands-On Social Media Competencies, Alisa Agozzino, Brendan O'Hallarn, Peyton Stensland, James Strode

The COSMA Journal

This paper introduces Sport Social Hub, a collaborative, multi-institutional social media exchange inspired by the Commission on Public Relations Education's (CPRE) emphasis on key knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) in public relations education. Sport Social Hub engaged students from four universities in topical, sports-themed assignments. These assignments involved creating memes, analyzing historical and contemporary sports photographs, profiling industry professionals with infographics, and developing engagement contests. The paper outlines how Sport Social Hub addresses CPRE's recommended KSAs within social media, collaboration, and creative thinking. Utilizing social media platforms as pedagogical tools, Sport Social Hub aimed to enhance students' social media competencies, …

Social Media Microinterventions: Testing Information Activism As A Media And Information Literacy Tool, Maia Klaassen, Maria Murumaa-Mengel, Marju Himma

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Several studies have shown the effect of information activism and microinterventions, such as I Am Here International, the Elves and #NAFO to combat information disorder and hate online. Nevertheless, microinterventions have yet to be conceptualised in promoting media and information literacy (MIL) and informational resilience. This study positions microinterventions as information activism tools and empirically tests microinterventions in the context of higher education. Using an action research approach at a university MIL training course, we aim to understand what types of information activism are used and how the collective interventions affected the participants' MIL-s. We construct a typology of information …

Tular Nalar Curriculum To Promote A Culture Of Critical Thinking Among The Elderly, Santi Indra Astuti, Niken Satyawati, Dwitasari Teteki Bernadeta

Jurnal Vokasi Indonesia

In the digital age, fostering a culture of critical thinking is imperative for all societal groups, including the elderly. However, no sufficient effort does appear to resolve the lack of critical thinking among elderly. Facing with this challenge, Tular Nalar program developed unique curriculum which specifically cultivate critical thinking skills among elderly. The designed curriculum become the backbone of capacity buildings which targeted elderly in 38 provinces of Indonesia. This curriculum is accessible to everyone, designed to enhance critical thinking abilities, and enabling individuals, especially the elderly, to identify, analyze, and make rational decisions in filtering information. The paper presented …

“Eres Un No Sabo Kid”: How Linguistic Discrimination Online Is Shaping Young Heritage Spanish Speakers’ Language Attitudes, Identities, And Community Connections, Diana Camberos, Claudia Pozzobon Potratz

11th National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language (Archived)

We explore how a social media phenomenon impacts the identity, language development, ideologies, and sense of community and self among Heritage Spanish Speakers (HSS) at a PWI in the Midwest. The data reveals the unique experiences and challenges faced by HSS and their perspective on language ideologies and identity.

No Ela Without Ella: Understanding The Naming And Crafting Of Gendered Subjectivities In Puerto Rico, Carmín Quijano Seda

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

At the beginning of the 20th century, the official metadiscourses about gendered job titles sedimented the idea that names or indexes pointing to women should be interpreted as unskilled, cheap, or even free labor in Puerto Rico (Azize, 1985; Muñiz Mas, 1998; Baerga-Santini, 1999). For this reason, Puerto Rican women organized and fought for equality in work settings. Furthermore, they became more active in politics and the government. Nevertheless, the Estado Libre Asociado (ELA) and local media discourses and interpretations about women’s labor discouraged them from participating in more senior positions (Acevedo Gaud, 2012).

However, this interpretation seemed to have …

Identifying Youth Appeals In Alcohol Alternative Social Media Content Through Framing, Melina Oneal

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Proposed regulations for alcohol advertising prevent beverage companies from targeting people under the legal drinking age. However, similar regulations for alcohol alternative beverages are less explored, which could allow alcohol alternative products to create awareness for alcoholic beverages among youth. Alcohol alternatives beverages, including no-alcohol and low-alcohol products, are increasing in popularity and can function as compliments to alcoholic products to decrease the total alcohol volume consumed or as substitutes for alcoholic products. Framing theory can be operationalized through the Content Appealing to Youth Index, an index of content elements found in research literature to be appealing to youth, to …

Social Media Sanctuaries: A Discourse Analysis Of Indian International Students' Agency And Liminality During The Russian-Ukrainian Conflict, Bhavika Sicka, Nadiya Ungo, Dennis Gregory

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This study used a social media discourse analysis approach to illuminate the narratives of Indian international students in Ukraine who experienced displacement and upheaval because of the Russo-Ukrainian war. We used agency and liminality as analytic lenses to highlight how this uniquely situated population used Facebook to navigate conflict, voice their demands, support each other, challenge hegemonic narratives, re/construct their diasporic identities, and re-orient their futures. Findings indicate that Indian international students in Ukraine displayed insurmountable courage and resilience during the war, enacting agency from the margins to amplify their voices and actuate desired futures. Furthermore, South Asian students in …

Higher Education Faculty Perceptions Of Chatgpt And The Influencing Factors: A Sentiment Analysis Of X, Yoseph Mamo, Helen Crompton, Diane Burke, Christine E. Nickel

STEMPS Faculty Publications

ChatGPT, an AI chatbot developed by OpenAI, was released in November 2022, sparking a significant surge in global awareness and utilization of generative AI across various domains. Although recent studies have acknowledged the significance of ChatGPT in the education sector, they have yet to focus on exploring faculty attitudes toward ChatGPT. We gathered a comprehensive corpus of tweets containing “#ChatGPT” and “#highered” between November 30th, 2022, and April 30th, 2023. We analyzed data by triangulating VADER, NRC lexicon, and ground coding. Findings suggest that 40% of the expressed sentiments were positive, 51% were neutral, and 9% were negative. The study …

Identifying Barriers: Analysis Of Federal Law Enforcement Social Media And Recruitment Efforts, Reena Desai, Edgar Greer, Meghan Waldron

Doctor of Education Capstones

The Federal Bureau of Investigation Richmond Field Office seeks to diversify their applicant pool. In an effort to provide information on how to meet this need, our doctoral team analyzed the social media sites of six federal law enforcement agencies to include: the Federal Bureau of Investigation- Headquarters, Federal Bureau of Investigation-Richmond Field Office, Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the United States Marshal Service. By examining a 60-day window of images and their associated text on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram accounts, we wanted to gain a stronger understanding of …

You Shall Know A Forum By The Words They Keep: Analyzing Language Use In Accessibility Forums For Blind Users, Nithiya Venkatraman, Anand Aiyer, Yash Prakash, Vikas Ashok

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Discussion forums are one of the favored platforms for knowledge sharing. Given their popularity, copious research exists on understanding linguistic and behavioral characteristics of forum conversations. However, prior investigations have mainly focused on general forums designed primarily for sighted users, and as such the applicability of their findings to the dedicated accessibility discussion forums frequented by blind individuals remains unanswered. To bridge this knowledge gap, and facilitate the development of better-informed assistive technologies for blind people, we investigated language use and identified the key semantic and cognitive characteristics of online accessibility forums. To aid our investigation, we collected a dataset …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Building Social Media Literacy In The Russian Language Classroom, Kelly Knickmeier Cummings

Russian Language Journal

This article presents ways to teach media literacy (ML) skills in Russian language classrooms with particular focus on developing proficiencies to navigate social media (SM) where information disorder is a critical concern. Because of its numerous configurations and applications, SM is understood broadly as “the creation and exchange of user-generated content.” After outlining critical concerns surrounding SM use, the discussion focuses on three conditions that affect the development of ML skills when trying to engage meaningfully online: cognitive vulnerabilities, unreliable narrators, and populist rhetoric. Developing an awareness of how these three conditions on SM impact decision-making and behavior online equips …

Expanding Sites For Peacebuilding: Decolonizing Education And Research To Retrieve Cultural And Critical Sources Of Knowledge, Anya Russian, Marc B. Kuly, Heidi Lamb, Jennifer Tesoro

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

This panel considers the ideological, intellectual, personal, and practical dimensions of peacebuilding. It explores how various educational spaces, self-inquiry, and theory can bring attention to cultural predicaments and communities that are frequently neglected, omitted, or misunderstood in peacebuilding.

• In settler-colonial states, schooling is a process of naturalizing inequality which can be exposed and potentially interrupted through the application of peace and conflict studies methods and theories.
• As academic institutions seek to address gender-based violence taking place both on campuses and online, approaches may fall short in considering the institution’s continued entrenchment in colonialism. Further decolonization is needed to better address …

Small Historically Black Colleges And Universities Bridging Social Capital: The Use Of Language, Tone And Content To Share Information On Instagram, Pamela Peters

Journal of Research Initiatives

The COVID-19 pandemic has strained higher education institutions, especially small Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). As campuses closed and reopened, Black communities' digital divide grew, adding to the need to stay connected. This study uses social capital to examine how institutions use language, tone, content, and information to bridge social capital. An analysis of 35 small liberal arts HBCUs’ Instagram posts was undertaken to compare post frequency, types of information, engagement, tone, language, and content in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic and during the pandemic, 2020 and 2021. This study indicates that post-oversaturation in 2020 and 2021 and information …

Screen Ruptures: Disrupted Content For The Prosumer Generation, Kelsey Clark

Postgraduate

Television content has faced various forms of interruption to the viewing experience since the very beginning with the location of the television set and interruptive nature of advertising breaks. Irani et al. (2010) note that television has always been “a fixed temporal structure” and that the physical location of the television set has always had a place in the home where the opportunities for distraction and disengagement form a part of the viewing experience (p. 621). Similarly, the presence of advertising intermittently interrupting episodes of television programs quickly became a norm, which further characterises television viewing as a disrupted practice. …

The Effect Of Viewing Different Modalities Of Alcohol-Related Social Media Content Shared By Friends On Alcohol Outcomes: A Longitudinal Examination, Megan E. Strowger

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Social influences have robust associations with problematic alcohol use among emerging adult college students. Examinations of social influences increasingly focus on social media influences via alcohol-related content (ARC) sharing and viewing. Limited longitudinal research suggests that increased exposure to ARC is associated with increased alcohol consumption among college students over time. Most research examining exposure has not focused on who (e.g., specific friends) is sharing this content, the modality (e.g., photos) or the qualities of those sharing content and their relationship (e.g., closeness) to the viewer. The current study examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between alcohol consumption/consequences and: 1) sharing …

Online Media Literacy Intervention In Indonesia Reduces Misinformation Sharing Intention, Trenton Ford, Michael Yankoski, Matthew Facciani, Tim Weninger

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Media literacy is widely viewed as an important tool in the fight against the spread of misinformation online. However, efforts to boost media literacy have primarily focused on Western-media and Western-oriented social media platforms, which are substantively different from the media and platforms used widely in the Global South. In the present work, we focus on the media ecosystem of Indonesia and report the results of an online media literacy intervention consisting of short-videos that were targeted specifically to social media users in Indonesia (N= 656). We found that participants in our media literacy intervention were 64% more …

Improving Indonesian Seniors’ Digital Resilience And Quality Of Life Through The Digital Academy For Seniors Program, Mite Setiansah, Nuryanti Nuryanti, Edi Santoso, Agus Ganjar Runtiko, Wiwik Novianti

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Digital literacy education is essential for everyone, including seniors to sustain their quality of life. The Digital Academy for Seniors aims to instill digital skills among seniors through a non-formal learning program. This qualitative research aimed to provide a comprehensive description of how the program can develop digital resilience and improve the quality of life of seniors. This study concluded that the program can improve the knowledge and attitudes of seniors in using digital media safely. Both of these are important assets for seniors to develop their digital resilience so that they can take advantage of digital media to support …

Navigating Context Collapse: A Strengths-Based Approach To Building Youth Civic Empowerment. A Response To “Blended Spaces: Reimagining Civic Education In A Digital Era”, Ellen Middaugh, Mariah Kornbluh, Mark Felton

Democracy & Education

In the article “Blended Spaces: Reimagining Civic Education in a Digital Era,” the authors joined a new area of research on "civic media literacy," or the capacity to use media with civic intentionality. Building on previous scholarship that examined how to support youth capacity for effective civic inquiry, dialogue, expression, and action in the digital age, the authors contributed to this literature by usefully elaborating on the phenomenon of “context collapse” and the challenges this blurring of the boundaries between public and private spheres may present, particularly in the liminal spaces where the shifting boundaries most clearly depart from the …

The Promise Of Media Literacy Education When “Everything Is At Stake” And “Everything Is Expected”, Monica Bulger, Gina Baleria, Renee Hobbs, Kimberly R. Moffitt

Journal of Media Literacy Education

In the midst of a tumultuous time in American and global history, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Annual Conference 2021 hosted a panel to explore the promise and limits of media literacy. Panelists discussed the vital role of media literacy education in responding to challenges to democracy, social justice, and public health. With “everything at stake,” the panelists moved through responses to current crises while grounding in a historical context and offering recommendations for the future. Curated transcripts share a pivotal moment when much was expected of media literacy and media literacy experts explored promise and …

Egyptian University Students’ Smartphone Addiction And Their Digital Media Literacy Level, Abdelmohsen Hamed Okela

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This study examined the correlation between Egyptian university students’ smartphone addiction and digital media literacy. Data were gathered from a sample of 558 students enrolled at Minia University, aged 18-22, using an online questionnaire. Results revealed a significant positive correlation between smartphone overuse and digital media literacy levels. Moreover, it was found that university students obtained higher scores on the smartphone addiction scale, and social networking applications (e.g., WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok). Also, it was found that smartphone gaming, learning, and entertainment apps increase the likelihood of smartphone addiction and boost digital media literacy levels. These findings suggest that smartphone …

The Impact Of Gender Differences And Geographic Locations On Social Media Literacy Among Public Universities Students, Heba Tallah Moustafa Helmy

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of both gender difference and geographic location on social media literacy levels among undergraduate students in public universities in Egypt. Four aspects related to social media literacy were considered in the Likert-scale survey, including basic technical skills, digital interactions, information evaluation, and privacy and security practices. A total of 520 students participated in this exploratory research, of which 265 males and 255 females enrolled at four public universities in different geographic locations. Cairo University and Ain Shams University represent the urban areas. The other two universities are located in center-periphery …

Media Literacy In Public Education: A Mixed-Method Exploration, Jessica Wyers

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

You have to know where you are to know where you’re going. This is the approach I attempt to take to understand next steps in media literacy education and policy. Little research has been done to understand the current state of media literacy education, what is actually happening in the classrooms and education system, to better judge more intentional interventions in the future.

This dissertation explores the current issues in media literacy education in our public schools. I combine the strengths of a qualitative investigation of published public school media literacy curricula with survey data measuring the perceptions of students’ …