Social Media Commons^™

Social Media Reactions To Apologies From Public Figures, Brands, And Companies And Its Impact On Reputation, Melissa N. Dolan

Student Theses and Dissertations

Apologies issued by public figures, brands, and companies after a scandal or public perception of wrongdoing are common occurrences that have a significant impact on a brand's overall reputation. The impact on reputation hinges on how apologies are dissected and criticized by audiences on social media, which in turn influences public opinion and perception of the brand, company, or public figure. Furthermore, social media has exacerbated condemnation or support for public apologies, because it provides a platform for public discourse on the matter. Apologies are powerful tools that can be effective if implemented well or can be detrimental to a …

Exploration To Brand Communication On Tiktok, Victoria M. Priola

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the connection between the video-sharing social media platform TikTok and companies that use it to publish corporate branding content. The research intends to compare TikTok to other social media outlets. The motivation behind this study was fueled by the want to understand where TikTok lands within a company’s social media content planning process. Can TikTok ever become a solid foundation in social media content planning like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have been? Most of the previous research on TikTok has proven how unique the platform is compared to other social media, but …

Hacker, Influencer, Counter-Culture Spy: Cyberspace Actors’ Models Of Misinformation And Counter-Operations, Benjamin Kessell

College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations

As misinformation continues to spread on social media, its residents have begun to fight back, independent of any platform. This organic resistance to the diffusion of misinformation is a clearly observable phenomenon with roots in Anonymous’ distributed campaigns from the 2010s outwards. Hacker and information security communities are acting in defense of some of their favorite spaces, most notably, Twitter. Security researchers of all stripes use it for sharing indicators of compromise but, as the diffusion of misinformation becomes more problematic it becomes more difficult to find signals in the noise.

These actors’ response to the issues at hand is …

Celebrity Affect, Social Media Fandom, And Parasocial Interactions: A Thematic Analysis Of Fan Reactions To Kris Wu’S Sexual Scandals In China, Yan Zhao

Communication ETDs

In this thesis, the rise and fall of a popular Chinese celebrity, Kris Wu, provided the context to examine fans’ negotiation of parasocial and affective relationships in online interactions with the celebrity and other fans. On the basis of a thematic analysis of Chinese fans’ comments on social media before and after Wu’s arrest and conviction for rape and other sexual crimes in 2022, I highlight the fluidity of fans’ positive and negative parasocial interactions and emotional attachments to a celebrity. The analysis suggests how fans can prioritize their continued support and admiration for a celebrity above matters of morality …

Digital Waves: Communicating Feminist Movements, Shauna M. Macdonald

Feminist Pedagogy

Online learning provides opportunities for pedagogical growth and innovation. When tasked with teaching an undergraduate Gender and Communication class during a virtual semester (amid the COVID-19 pandemic), I sought ways to engage students through online technologies rather than working against or despite them. The Digital Waves (DW) assignment, one that asks students to research and then create digital representations of a particular “wave” of feminism, was one of several strategies I adopted; it quickly evolved into a favorite.

Extracting Narrative Using Gpt-3 From Youtube Videos And Its Visualization, Mayor Inna Gurung

Theses and Dissertations

YouTube, the leading video-sharing social media platform, is home to a vast number of videos, with over one billion hours of content consumed daily. However, with 500 hours of fresh content added to the platform every day, ensuring the quality of the content has become a daunting task, making it challenging to prevent the spread of low-quality information. The manual review of malicious content by moderators is time-consuming and highlights the need for faster analysis and processing tools. This paper proposes a novel approach that utilizes Generative Pre-Trained Transfer-3 (GPT-3), with 175 billion parameters, to extract narratives from YouTube videos. …

Professional Athletes Tell All: Communication Techniques To Assist In A Successful Podcast, Wilnir Louis

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

An increasing number of athletes are utilizing various mediums to communicate to fans. A rising medium that athletes are adopting is podcasting. While there are studies that discuss the benefits of podcasting, there is limited research that provides individuals, specifically athletes, with the proper knowledge on how to effectively communicate on a podcast platform. This project investigates what athletes can do to make their podcasts engaging for viewers and listeners. A case study was conducted that included textual and content analysis of the top episodes of two successful athlete-driven podcasts. Findings from the research guided the creation of a visual …

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 …

Breaking Me Down And Lifting Me Up: An Autoethnography Of Being A Black Autistic Woman Online, Morgan Harper-Nichols

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This autoethnography investigates the diverse challenges associated with being a Black, undiagnosed autistic woman coming of age on the internet, and examines how online experiences shaped my identity over the past twenty years. Early encounters with racism and cautious self-expression on platforms such as forums, GeoCities, Myspace, and YouTube are explored as my initial efforts to "fit in" in virtual spaces. I discuss how engaging with platforms like Instagram and Etsy enabled my participation in the gig economy while grappling with my pre-diagnosis social struggles. I also share how I navigate post-2020 experiences as a Black autistic online creator, how …

The Value Of An Integrated Marketing Campaign To Grow Interest In Visiting The U.S. National Parks, Hermine Granberry

Honors Theses

When the centennial celebration of the National Park Service was approaching in 2016, the National Park Service launched a two-year campaign to only commemorate the last century of NPS, but to also reconnect Americans with the parks. Ten years have passed since the initial creation of the campaign. This thesis researches the value of how another integrated marketing campaign could increase visitation to the U.S. National Parks in the future.

Through evaluating the previous Find Your Park campaign and current trends in travel and vacation, this research investigates not only future campaign ideas but also the use and incorporation of …

An Analysis Of The Catalysts Of Parasocial Breakups, Hannah Flannery

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This paper aims to explore a parasol phenomenon known as parasocial breakup. What happens when popular influencers become riddled with scandals, or a microcelebrity crush starts dating someone? Perhaps they are unfollowed, blocked, or ignored by their fans. The parasocial bond between influencer and viewer has cracked. What happens when a content creator changes their content, stops posting, or experiences a crisis? They may remove themselves from various social media platforms, post content that former viewers no longer enjoy, or shift their fan demographic drastically. This paper analyzes micro celebrities across four categories: those who have died, those who have …

Analyzing Blogs About Uyghur Discourse Using Topic Induced Hyperlink Network, Ifeanyichukwu Joshua Umoga

Theses and Dissertations

The Uyghurs are a Turkic ethnic group that descends from the general region of Central and East Asia. In recent years, the Chinese government has been accused of violating the human rights of Uyghur Muslims by imprisoning them in camps and subjecting them to forced labor, forced abortion, and other harmful treatments. Aside from western news outlets, lot of information is available on blogs regarding the Uyghur issue. The information found in these blogs provide an alternative lens to analyze the Uyghur discourse from non-traditional media outlets. However, it is difficult to show the connection between blogs and how information …

Social Media Usage And Self-Esteem: The Moderating Role Of Media Literacy, Comparison Tendency, And User Motivation, Feng Li

Dissertations

Studies on Facebook and Twitter have shown that social media usage negatively influences individuals’ self-esteem. Many scholars believe media literacy could help reduce this negative impact. Social comparison tendencies and user motivations may also influence this dynamic. The current study is designed to test the moderation effects of media literacy, comparison tendency, and user motivation influencing WeChat Moments usage on individuals’ self-esteem. A group of Chinese college students (N= 299) participated in an online survey. Results show no negative association between WeChat Moments usage and self-esteem. Media literacy only negatively moderates this effect among those who reported having 20-50 friends. …

New Technologies In The Field Of Sensory Marketing And Customer Experience: A Systematic Literature Review, Dawid Gajda

Journal of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in Emerging Markets

Nowadays, we are noticing more and more new technological solutions that fit into the field of sensory marketing, the implementation of which is in a relatively preliminary stage. They are intended to improve customer experience. The main objective of the research is to determine the main topics covered in the literature. This article covers a systematic literature review of research conducted to date on new technologies that are part of the field of sensory marketing related to customer experience. The research search was based on two databases: Scopus and Web of Science Core Collections. Studies conducted between 2007 and May …

Multicultural Analysis Of Topic And Emotion Drift On Youtube’S Recommendation System, Ugochukwu Olaitan Peter Onyepunuka

Theses and Dissertations

YouTube serves as a primary information source for many users, with its recommendation algorithm playing a vital role in video discovery and viewership on the platform. It determines what users are exposed to and is responsible for a significant portion (70%) of the content users engage with on the platform. It is therefore crucial to scrutinize recommendation systems to understand potential algorithmic biases that may spread disinformation. Previous studies have shown that the recommendation algorithm favors a small number of videos, creating mild ideological echo chambers. This study aims to investigate the extent to which YouTube's recommendation algorithm spreads disinformation …

Understanding The Business Model Of Content Creation, Taylor Vahey

Honors Projects in Communication

Individuals who post niched consistent content to social media platforms have grown audiences, which presents an opportunity for content creators to monetize the attention their posts receive. Both content creators and marketing practitioners are using trial and error processes to learn how to utilize the newest online promotion strategy; influencer marketing. This research aims to outline the business operations from the perspective of the influencer. Research on all aspects of this industry is insufficient, with only a few hundred published peer-reviewed articles on the topic available. Most of the research focuses on the perspective of the audience or the marketing …

(Not) Knowing, Jared Friedman

Theses and Dissertations

Jared Friedman’s work creates monuments out of banal common objects. Through acrylic paintings on- Astroturf, burlap, canvas, and upholstery fabric- he explores the ambiguity of the unremarkable, such as the condenser coils on the back of a refrigerator. In, (Not) Knowing, he parses the difference between knowing and understanding.

How Does Social Media Consumption Relate To A College Student's Mental Health And Body Image, Madyson Lira

Undergraduate Theses

Mental Health and Body Image issues have become an epidemic, especially among teenagers and young adults. Obsession with social media is also growing among younger audiences. With the increase of users using social media, research has shown that there is a growth in body image issues which has been directly influenced by social media. Despite the research already performed, there hasn’t been a lot of traction surrounding this topic. College students are thrown into constant exposure to the ‘ideal’ college life through social media sharing apps. Between classes, extracurriculars, and meetings, college students are on their phones a lot. Most …

Antisemitic Rhetoric From Influential Individuals On Social Media During The Recent Rise Of Jewish Hate In The United States Of America, Jimmy Warshawsky, Jason Jarvis Ph.D.

Honors Thesis

Experts have said that in recent months, we have been living through the highest point in American antisemitism we've ever had. Much of this is because of certain very influential people like Donald Trump and Kanye West who have been spreading antisemitic tropes and conspiracies on the internet. In this paper, I will first discuss the history of antisemitism in America to give important and relevant context to my study. I will then explain the recent rise in antisemitism and address viewpoints from various experts and contributors on what, why, and how this is happening. I’ll go over each of …

The Overuse Of Advanced Technology And Its Impact On Earlier Signs Of Digital Dementia, Audriana T. Nguyen

ETD Archive

This research attempted to answer the question if the increased use of advanced technology can impact an individual’s cognitive abilities. Participants (N=73) were recruited from universities by flyers as well as social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and LinkedIn. Participants answered a survey pertaining to their social media use, attention difficulties, memory, and quality of sleep using the Likert Scale. The purpose of this research was to quantify if the duration of exposure to technology can be associated with earlier signs of “digital dementia.” While previous research suggest a correlation between technology and its impact on cognition, my data …

Refigured: Separations In Portraiture, Caroline Myers

All Theses

Utilizing traditional painting techniques embedded with digital syntaxes, Refigured: Separations in Portraiture, serves as a catalog of my experiences with communication in a hyperconnected world. Processing illegible information caused by my hearing loss informs the process of imposing similar boundaries within my paintings. Like a technical glitch, these obstructions create an illegible visual experience, with evidence of my process remaining as a clue for the viewer’s understanding of the image.

Though personal in nature, I expand from my experience with auditory communication to employ pertinent explorations into the sustained unpredictability of today’s ever-expanding medium that is technology. My paintings …

“We Felt Powerful And Rebellious”: Contested Spaces, Lesbian Identity, And The Evolution Of Separatism, Sarah Cooper

All Dissertations

Drawing on theoretical perspectives from lesbian studies, queer theory and studies and, feminist rhetorics while using rhetorical analysis, interviews, and archival research, this project traces the relationships lesbians have had to place, through case studies. To date, research on how space occupancy or land practices have contributed to the constitution of a contemporary lesbian identity in the United States lack scholarly attention. My following chapters ask: how has separatism historically and at present contributed to the constitution of lesbian identity? To answer, I turn to archival evidence of women’s lands in Southern Oregon, Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, and Olivia Travel. …

The Role Of Storytelling In Digital Brand Marketing: A Case Study Of Tennessee Hills Distillery And Brewstillery, Cassidy Blackwell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study evaluates the impacts of brand storytelling on customers of a craft brewery and distillery in East Tennessee. Brand storytelling is well researched, but has not been applied to niche sectors and customer response. The study consisted of a 15-question survey distributed to customers of Tennessee Hills Distillery and Brewstillery (TN Hills), and received 139 responses. The results were that despite a seeming trend of lack of engagement with the business, respondents value brand stories and can identify unique brand characteristics. Respondents’ answers reflected a personal connection with TN Hills, and connected the brand to grander ideals like the …

The Effects Of Tiktok's Covid-19 Content On Anxiety In Young Adults, Nicholas Fontaine

Honors Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic spiked generalized anxiety worldwide. The onset of the pandemic also coincided with TikTok’s rise to popularity in the social media landscape, especially among young adults and children. As a result, COVID-19-related content rose to prevalence on the platform as it became a common outlet for users to share their thoughts and opinions on the pandemic while also feeding a growing audience in need of information and diversion. Given the connection between COVID-19 and anxiety, along with temporal ties between TikTok’s rise to popularity and the COVID-19 pandemic, this study set out to determine whether young adults would …

The Connection Between Gen Z And Online Fast Fashion Media; Aiming To Create A Sustainable Future In Fashion., Rachel Peters

School of Art Undergraduate Honors Theses

It is impossible to think about culture in the past two decades without referencing social media. My generation, commonly known as Gen Z (born between 1997-2010), has been on the forefront of social media development. One of the first generations to grow up with some form of unfiltered online social experience, Gen Z has been hard wired to consume media. While using social media alongside my peers, I have observed a problem that has resulted from this: mass consumption. A mass consumption of food, beauty products, home decor, and clothing in particular. On social media we see hundreds of videos …

Supporting Account-Based Queries For Archived Instagram Posts, Himarsha R. Jayanetti

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Social media has become one of the primary modes of communication in recent times, with popular platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram leading the way. Despite its popularity, Instagram has not received as much attention in academic research compared to Facebook and Twitter, and its significant role in contemporary society is often overlooked. Web archives are making efforts to preserve social media content despite the challenges posed by the dynamic nature of these sites. The goal of our research is to facilitate the easy discovery of archived copies, or mementos, of all posts belonging to a specific Instagram account …

T. Hanks For Nostalgia: The Power Of Tom Hanks And Film Branding, Jacob Higgs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In March 2020, Tom Hanks announced he had contracted COVID-19 while shooting the Elvis Presley Biopic in Australia. On Instagram, he encouraged fans to take the disease seriously and be aware of how severe of a disease it was. Character brands and nostalgia have been found to foster trust in products and encourage relationships with those brands. Using the lens of nostalgia and uses and gratification to examine Tom Hanks as a character brand, the researcher analyzed five blockbuster films with Tom Hanks as the lead character. The study used narrative thematic analysis to observe Hanks and the depictions of …

Exploring Avenues On Social Media For Public Health Organizations To Connect With The Lgbt+ Community, Louisa Glazunova

All Theses

There has been a significant increase in the number of nonprofit organizations that focus on health and wellness in the United States. These organizations center on creating and maintaining relationships with stakeholders through various approaches. One of these approaches is to use social media marketing to connect with their target audience and promote engagement with provided services and informational content. This study analyzed how sources of content on social media impact the LGBT+ community's perception of their relationship with a nonprofit organization specializing in LGBT+ health and well-being. An organizational-public relations and social media marketing framework was adapted to analyze …

Using Linkedin To Promote Effective Corporate Social Responsibility Communication Through The B2b Supply Chain, Eden Wallace

All Theses

Utilizing LinkedIn as a communication tool for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) communications is a relatively unknown area of CSR research. However, existing scholarship and current business trends suggest that LinkedIn may be beneficial for business to business (B2B) companies to communicate to their corporate partners. Findings from this study advance communication scholarship in this relatively new area of research and provide new understanding in how LinkedIn can be used by companies to strengthen business operations pertaining to corporate social responsibility. This thesis examines how Equinix, a B2B company, communicates its socially responsible initiatives on LinkedIn and to what extent its …

Resale Hdb Price Prediction Considering Covid-19 Through Sentiment Analysis, Srinaath Anbu Durai, Zhaoxia Wang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Twitter sentiment has been used as a predictor to predict price values or trends in both the stock market and housing market. The pioneering works in this stream of research drew upon works in behavioural economics to show that sentiment or emotions impact economic decisions. Latest works in this stream focus on the algorithm used as opposed to the data used. A literature review of works in this stream through the lens of data used shows that there is a paucity of work that considers the impact of sentiments caused due to an external factor on either the stock or …