Sociology of Culture Commons^™

Monetary Consumption In Gambling, Digital Gaming And Their Converged Forms: Findings From The Finnish Player Barometer 2022 Study, Jani Kinnunen

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

In the Finnish Player Barometer study gambling games and other types of games, including non-digital and digital game genres, are studied together. This nationally representative study differs from many other studies, which usually concentrate either on gambling or on other types of gaming. The study also includes many of converged forms between gambling and gaming.

Almost all Finns play games at least occasionally. In the year 2022, active digital gamers consumed on average 10,6 € per month on digital gaming, including online gambling. High monetary consumption in digital gaming seems to be connected in active gambling, but also those players, …

Mobile Free-To-Play Gaming Practices: The Entanglement Of Time, Technology And Games In Everyday Life, Jean-Philippe Laforge, Sylvia Kairouz, Annie-Claude Savard

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Mobile games have become a major part of many people's everyday life, especially since the rise of the Free-to-Play (F2P) model which brought mobile gaming to the fore of gaming culture. As a “new” cultural phenomenon, “playing” is now accessible anytime, in part due to the widespread availability of mobile technologies that host these games. Drawing from key concepts of the social practices theory, this study aims to explore how do mobile F2P games fit into the players’ everyday activities and occupations. Specifically, in what ways can time, mobile technologies and games shape the integration of gaming practices into the …

Immortal Celebrities: Tourism In Hollywood Cemeteries, Marta Soligo

Far West Popular Culture Association Annual Conference

This research is a critical study of tourism at four cemeteries in the Los Angeles area between 2013 and 2019. We examined these venues through the lens of celebrity tourism, since they are known as “Hollywood memorial parks,” hosting the graves of some of the most famous stars in the world. Through a qualitative study, we aimed to understand how the relationship between these venues and the entertainment industry works as a “pull factor” for tourists. Firstly, we identified the motivations behind the increasing number of tourists who add Los Angeles cemeteries to their must-see list. Although scholars often define …

What Happens Here? Educating Las Vegas’S Guests During Covid-19, Marta Soligo

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

When, in 2003, the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority (LVCVA) launched the tag line “What happens here, stays here,” it reinforced the idea, already supported by the media, that in Sin City everything is allowed. Looking at the COVID-19 crisis, one might wonder how, after being seen for years as a place without restrictions, Las Vegas could convince its tourists to respect some rigid safety guidelines. This paper tries to answer that question starting from the framework of the host-guest relationship, which is widely used in anthropology and sociology of tourism. On the one hand, I state that short-time …

The Social Construction Of “Gambling Addiction” As A Means Of Solving Other Social Problems. The Case Of Germany, Jo Reichertz, Gerd Moell

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

No abstract provided.

"Oh, Those Horsemen!" Regulatory Change And Cultural Peculiarity In Finland, Pauliina Raento

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Abstract

Finland's three gambling monopoly operators merged into one state-owned entity in 2017. A particular challenge to the process came from its smallest constituent, the tote company Fintoto, its owner, the national Trotting and Horse Breeding Association, and the equine industry’s cultural peculiarity.

The process is examined from the perspective of the equine industry, which had to choose between joining or not joining the merger. The exchanges between 'horse people' and state regulators, the equine industry’s resistance and decision to participate in the merger, and concerns about impact are traced from Finland's leading equine newspaper, in 2015–2017. The articles are …

What Predicts Social Casino Game Playing? Interrelations Of Social Casino Gaming, Gambling, And Demographic Factors, Jani Kinnunen, Joe Macey

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Social casino games (SCG), for example those played on Facebook and on mobile devices, are one of the most profitable genres of free-to-play games. They are also an example of a convergence trend, where the line between gambling and digital gaming is blurring. Digital games integrate gambling elements, such as loot boxes, while new forms of digital, online and hybrid gambling games use similar immersive elements as those which are employed in video games.

The Finnish Player Barometer 2018, a nationally representative dataset (n = 946), included questions about digital gaming, gambling and SCG. It reveals that 5.9% of Finns …

Select Proceedings Of The 2nd Annual Graduate Student Conference: Games, Sins & Mafia, Samuel Gilpin, Carly Hunter, Jenessa Kenway, Alexander Valle, Jarret Keene

Graduate Student Conference

The four papers collected here were originally presented at the Second Annual Graduate Student Conference: "Games, Sins & Mafia." Hosted by the UNLV World Languages & Cultures department and the Organization of Vistas of Hispanic Studies, the conference took place on the UNLV campus on March 16, 2019. These proceedings feature three (at the time) graduate students and one undergraduate student from the UNLV English department. Taken as a whole, the proceedings explore the aesthetic, sociological, and philosophical concerns of a range of authors—William Faulkner, Juan Rulfo (Mexico), Roberto Harrison, and Clarice Lispector (Brazil).

Book Review: The Strip. Las Vegas And The Architecture Of The American Dream., Marta Soligo

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

Book Review: The Strip. Las Vegas and the Architecture of the American Dream

Anti-Queer Microaggressions Towards Queer Black Men, Camisha D. Fagan, Anna Smedley-López

McNair Poster Presentations

Microaggressions are reoccurring derogatory messages that degrade and/ or discredit one’s identity. While invisible and unknown to many, they remain visible and apparent to those impacted by them. The research questions for this project are: (1) What microaggressions do Queer Black men experience within larger society? (2) To contrast with larger society, what microaggressions do Queer Black men experience within Black communities? By conducting focus groups, I will examine the intersectional microaggressions that Queer Black males experience in their own community, as well as document microaggression that they experience in larger society. After conducting my focus groups, I will be …

What Does It Mean For The Husband When His Wife Keeps Her Own Surname?, Rachael D. Robnett, Marielle Wertheimer, Harriet R. Tenebaum

Research Briefs

No abstract provided.

Barbie Doesn't Have Bruises: Gendered Images Of Anxiety And Avoidant Attachment Relationships In Film, Claudia G. Chiang-Lopez

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

Viewers’ interpretations of romantic relationships portrayed between those with anxious and avoidant attachments can affect their opinions on what constitutes appropriate relationship behavior. I conducted a literature review on media impacts and offer an interpretation of the implications of the language used to describe characters, relationships and characters’ ends. The films studied - Sunset Boulevard, Sid and Nancy, and The Hustler - showed a pattern where in a relationship between an anxious and an avoidant character, the anxious character was punished, absorbed by their relationship, abandoned, trapped in their life, and cut off from the world. Viewers watch films to …

Using The Theory Of Fundamental Causes To Show The Potential Effects Of Socioeconomic Status On Surgical Outcomes, Mehwish Qasim, A.B.D.

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Surgical procedures are both costly and common. There are large differences in surgical outcomes both within and between hospitals based on patient characteristics such as measures of income. In both 2000 and 2009, patients residing in low-income communities had worse morbidity and mortality rates, across a wide range of quality indicators. In this review, the author will explicate the Theory of Fundamental Causes as it relates to surgical care, review key empirical findings and address potential limitations of the theory. This review will provide a platform for researchers to discuss current research in surgical disparities using the Theory of Fundamental …

Social Capital Of Last Resort: The Role Of Religion, Family, And Trust Among People With Low Socio-Economic Status, Jean Reid Norman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This qualitative study finds evidence that poverty and homelessness undermine primary social relationships for many low-income people, eroding social capital, and that generalized trust may not be a good proxy for social capital, at least among a largely homeless population. This study also finds a surprising number of references to God, religion and spirituality among largely homeless populations when talking about their social networks, which addresses literature suggesting that church affiliation and religion may be unique in the formation of social capital. Twelve focus groups were conducted with a total 46 participants self-identified as low-income to explore social capital. A …

America’S New Demography: Rising Minorities, Aging Boomers, And Emerging Cultural Gaps, William H. Frey

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

There are major demographic changes occurring in the United States right now. As the number of whites is declining among children and in many communities, we are seeing growth in other racial groups, particularly the Hispanic population. In fact, estimates are that by 2043 the United States will be “majority-minority." The Brookings Institution’s William Frey will discuss how these population shifts will impact different different parts of the country, their politics, and related policies. He will explore how the changes will continue to affect Americans for decades to come.

We Can Do It! (But Should We?), Lindsey Odom

Graduate Research Symposium (GCUA) (2010 - 2017)

First dates represent an important early event in the development of dating relationships. Commonly, date initiation is a behavior in which men take control. In the past few decades, however, more women attempted this task. Women initiating dates is a deviation from cultural norms or what society views as appropriate behavior. The deviation in behavior could have negative repercussions for women. For this study, perceptions of women who initiate dates are investigated. By examining the expectedness and violation valence of the behavior through Expectancy Violations Theory, insight is provided into the perceptions of this dating trend.

Cultural Acceptance And Its Effect On Tourism, I-Hsuan Shih

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This professional paper examines the relationship between cultural acceptance in conjunction with social perception and cultural tourism promotion strategies. It provides a matrix to evaluate the likely success of promoting a specific cultural aspect of a destination and suggestions for ways of dealing with a lack of cultural acceptance or negative perceptions. It underscores the need for tourism strategic planners to take into account the cultural acceptance of a proposed project by the host community before proceeding.

Where Locals Play: Neighborhood Casino Landscapes In Las Vegas, Rex J. Rowley Ph.D.

Occasional Papers

Neighborhood casinos—gaming properties that target a primarily local market—are an influential feature on the Las Vegas cultural landscape. Such institutions reveal a number of geographical patterns that have important implications in gaming and place studies. The distinguishing characteristics of neighborhood casinos underscore the importance of proximity to a market, a focus that is evident in their advertising strategies. Additionally, the prominence of such casino-resorts within their respective neighborhoods makes them important symbols and indicators of the character of the surrounding community. These unique institutions teach lessons that can potentially be extrapolated to other gaming markets around the country.

Cultural Tourism Products: A Case Study In The Xi’An City, Yining Zhang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nowadays, culture has been a major driver of tourism. Cultural tourism is another form of tourism by involving cultural elements. Some people traveled specifically to gain a deeper understanding of the culture or heritage of a destination. In order to satisfy tourists’ cultural needs and wants, cultural tourism products typically attracts consumers by the cultural attributes. A cultural attest is not a cultural tourism product unless it transforms itself into products that could be consumed by tourists. The market value of cultural tourism can be realized by cultural tourism products. This paper is to explore the development and evaluation of …

Parasocial Relationships With Celebrities: An Illusion Of Intimacy With Mediated Friends, Amanda R. Laken

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research looked at parasocial interactions among college students. The study looked at the differences in gender and parasocial interaction, ethnicity/race and parasocial interaction, and the type of entertainment the celebrity was in and parasocial interaction. The research looked at celebrities as themselves and not as the characters they play as previous studies have. The research consisted of a revised parasocial interaction scale along with basic demographic questions. Although there have been studies examining levels of worship among different celebrities, they have been no correlations or differences stated concerning parasocial interactions. In addition, there has been no previous research stating …

The Sociology Of Scenes, The Sacramento Poetry Scene, Dana Nell Maher

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

For this ethnography, I use my feminist perspective, grounded theory, participant observation, and autoethnographic techniques to explore an urban poetry scene. I suggest that scene studies are a viable alternative to community studies and that we move our articulation of social experience to reflect it as it occurs, on a multitude of continuums. My goal with this project is to develop, use, and discuss the utility of a definition of scene that is intended to be useful to scene studies researchers. To this end, I both evaluate an outdated definition of scene (Irwin 1973 & 1977), and define the three …

Environmental Justice: An Analysis, Dennis Bechtel

Native American Forum on Nuclear Issues

Abstract: -Importance of the Environmental Justice -EJ examples -Regulatory backdrop -Stigma effects -Recommendations

Tribes And Yucca Mountain: Native American Forum On Nuclear Issues, Fred Dilger

Native American Forum on Nuclear Issues

Abstract:

-Yucca Mountain: Extensive history of social-cultural studies

-No interaction on transportation

-Unsuccessful effort began in 1993 and ended in 1995

-DOE tribal policy was a very good start

-Restarted again in 2004-DOE invites tribes to TEC meeting

-Shape future interaction between DOE and other Tribes

-Tribes identify themselves as affected by DOE differently than DOE defines affected tribes

Critical Theory And The Pragmatist Challenge, Dmitri N. Shalin

Sociology Faculty Research

Habermas's theory breaks with the Continental tradition that has denigrated pragmatism as an Anglo-Saxon philosophy subservient to technocratic capitalism. While Habermas deftly uses pragmatist insights into communicative rationality and democratic ethos, he shows little sensitivity to other facets of pragmatism. This article argues that incorporating the pragmatist perspective on experience and indeterminacy brings a corrective to the emancipatory agenda championed by critical theorists. The pragmatist alternative to the theory of communicative action is presented, with the discussion centering around the following themes: disembodied reason versus embodied reasonableness, determinate being versus indeterminate reality, discursive truth versus pragmatic certainty, rational consensus versus …

G. H. Mead, Socialism, And The Progressive Agenda, Dmitri N. Shalin

Sociology Faculty Research

Mead is known today primarily for his original philosophy and social psychology. Much less familiar to us is Mead the reformer, a man who sought to balance political engagement with academic detachment and who established himself as an astute critic of contemporary American society. This paper examines Mead's political beliefs and his theory of the reform process. Drawing on little known sources and archival materials, it demonstrates that Mead shared socialism's humanitarian ends and that, following the dominant progressive ideology of his time, he sought to accomplish these ends by constitutional means. An argument is made that Mead's ideological commitments …