Communication Technology and New Media Commons^™

Investigating The Role Video Game Players’ Supportive Communication Plays In Moderating The Effects Of Toxicity In Online Gaming, Duy Pham

Theses and Dissertations

Online video games are perceived as a hostile space that welcomes aggression and verbal abuse based on biological sex, gender, race, and sexual orientation. Therefore, video game players may choose to communicate in a supportive fashion toward other players or engage in toxic behaviors due to increased aggression and masculine norms. While scholars have been investigating supportive messages in a computer-mediated context, past research inquiries into supportive communication and video gaming have remained separate. The present study will connect these disparate lines of research. This study explores different levels of verbal person-centeredness (VPC) of support messages, combined with the sex …

Missional Social Media: Content And Strategies For Missions Organizations, Kathryn Larson

Senior Honors Theses

Technology can be used in amazing and creative ways to spread the gospel and create community across borders. The Apostle Paul used the communication tool of his time, letters, to communicate with churches from a distance. Today’s tools include social media which, when used properly and with intent, can positively influence an organization in the name of the gospel. Missions organizations have an incredible opportunity to use strategies and content to create a viable social media ministry. Theories such as the Community Development Theory and various reception theories contribute to an understanding of two-way communication and engagement between organization and …

Social Media As A Tool For Evangelism Among Youth And Young Adults, Trisney Bocala

Student Research

This research aims to answer the question of which social media platforms youth prefer and what types of content they prefer. Using data collected from a quantitative survey, this research seeks to identify the most-used social media platforms and most appealing formats of content so that Seventh-day Adventist churches, media organizations, and digital missionaries can more effectively utilize social media as a tool for evangelism among youth, defined as 15 to 24 years of age.

Evaluating Va Nurse Acceptance Of Virtual Healthcare Technology During The Coronavirus Outbreak, Francesca Bryan-Couch

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

At a regional Veterans Administration (VA) hospital, nurses performing case management were unable to perform face-to-face visits with patients due to coronavirus. Care coordination and discharge planning efforts occurred through telephonic case management to preserve personal protective equipment and reduce transmission rates through social distancing. Trust and rapport between patients and nurses were reduced without personal contact. Peplau’s theory of interpersonal relations described six nurse roles and three phases of relationship development required to create therapeutic nurse-patient relationships. Connectedness was a key concept considered to be the path to a successful meaningful therapeutic nurse-patient relationship (Hrabe, 2005).

To evaluate current …

An Exploratory Study Of Fake News And The 2017 Presidential Elections In Kenya, Anthony Kuria Wanjiru

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

This study explored the proliferation of fake news in Kenya and sought to uncover if fake news affected the 2017 Presidential Election outcomes. Just like in the two previous elections (2007 and 2013), the 2017 presidential polls were closely contested. The use of social networking sites and other online platforms like websites for campaigns was common during the 2017 Presidential Elections. Presidential candidates did not only set up websites, but also employed bloggers, social media savvy individuals and public relations firms to manage their social media accounts and other parody accounts that they used for their online campaigns. Thus, the …

Fact-Checking In The Digital Era: A Multi-Case Study Of How Newsrooms Address Disinformation During Breaking News, Mary Nyambura Kulundu

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

The role of the media is to inform its audience. This entails the supply of truthful and credible information. However, the traditional practices of ascertaining the truthfulness of news sources are now threatened by the rise of social media as a news source. The complexity arises from the fact that social media platforms lack an established means of confirming the credibility of both the source and the information. More so, the established procedures are randomly ignored in the event of breaking news, a time when the newsroom is time-bound and faces the highest risk of misinformation and disinformation. Subsequently, there …

News Media Framing Of Femicide: An Analysis Of Kenyan Newspapers’ Reports On The Killing Of Two Women, Rose Wangui Ng'ang'a

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

The Kenyan media has brought to the limelight disturbing issues of women who are murdered as a result of intimate partner violence. However, the framing of the femicide stories has brought about different perspectives in their interpretation, deeming the victims responsible for murder by blaming them. The framing justifies the actions taken by the perpetrators in committing murder. It is therefore against this background that the study focused on analyzing the frames used by the Kenyan media in covering homicide. The objectives that guided the study included; (i) to examine the major frames in the coverage of femicide by Kenyan …

Drought And Food Security In Kenya: Content Analysis Of The Nation And The Standard Newspapers 2018-2019, Mark Simiyu Namaswa

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

The study is motivated by repetitive cycles of drought and food security crises in Kenya where there seems to be no solution in dealing with cyclic but erratic weather patterns. The study focused on examining patterns of coverage and prominence of drought and food security stories in two major Kenyan newspapers, The Nation and The Standard and if these trends were event-driven or influenced by among other factors, politics or alters by humanitarian organizations or the scientific community. This study sought to explore media coverage of drought and food security in Kenya over the entire year 2018 and year 2019. …

Coverage Of Climate Change Issues In Kenyan Print Media: A Case Of Daily Nation And Standard Newspapers, Esther Wanja Mungai

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

Climate change is an issue of public interest and given the adverse effects of climate change, concerted efforts are imperative as different stakeholders work on solutions. The media with its power to set and build agenda is very critical, especially in its coverage of climate change. This study sought to analyse the extent to which climate change stories are given prominence, the nature of climate change stories, and drivers of climate change stories in The Daily Nation and The Standard between 2018 and 2019. The study was anchored on the agenda setting theory to examine prominence accorded to climate change …

Viability Of Free Newspapers In The Kenyan Market: A Case Of The People Daily, Veronica Wambui Mwangi

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

This study sought to establish the viability of free newspapers in the Kenyan market, using the case of The People Daily. The research objectives of this study were: (i) to establish the management strategy behind The People Daily’s conversion into a free newspaper; (ii) to determine the relationship between advertising revenue and The People Daily’s viability as a news media outlet; (iii) to assess financial sustainability of The People Daily as a free newspaper; and (iv) to establish the quality control measures that The People Daily has put in place to promote quality journalism. This study was based on the …

Place Of Solutions Journalism In Coverage Of A Crisis: Examining Reporting Of Covid-19 Pandemic In Kenyan Newspapers, Rebecca Mutheu Mutiso

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in Kenya in March 2020 created an unprecedented challenge to media houses. Media coverage of the disease raised questions on the best approach that can be used for reporting the Covid-19 crisis and whether journalists should only report the reality of the social and economic impact of the pandemic or they have a duty to also tell stories on the responses to the crisis, an approach referred to as solutions journalism. The study’s objectives were: - (i) examine the major themes in the coverage of Covid-19 pandemic in Kenya’s media, (ii) to explore the …

A Content Analysis Of The Coverage Of Covid-19 In The First Seven Days, Chrystal Celestine Kerubo Onkeo

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

This study explored how the Kenyan print media covered Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the first seven days after the first infection was confirmed in Kenya. The was guided by the following research objectives: - (i) To find out the prominence the Kenyan media gave COVID-19 stories in the first seven days following the announcement of patient zero, (ii)To identify the frames that were predominantly used by the media in the coverage of COVID-19 following the announcement of patient zero, and (iii)To examine the extent to which COVID-19 stories published in the first seven days following the announcement of patient …

Exploring The Effects Of Digital Disruption On Radio Revenues Among Urban Radio Stations In Kenya, Baron Khamadi Shitemi

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

This study sought to investigate the effects of digital disruption on radio revenues among urban radio stations in Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were: (i) to explore the trends in radio revenues in a competitive media environment in Kenya; (ii) to examine how radio revenues have been affected by digital disruption; and (iii) to establish new revenue generation strategies adopted by radio stations in Kenya today. The study adopted qualitative approach and employed exploratory research design. Four radio stations in the country were the sample size; Capital FM, Radio Citizen, KBC Radio and Spice FM, where editors, station …

Viability Of Digital Subscription In Uganda: An Analysis Of Chimpreports’ Paywall, Alex Taremwa

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

Digital Media in Uganda is experimenting with subscription-based models as an alternative to the traditional advertising model and as a recovery plan from the effects of COVID-19. The objectives for this study were: to identify critical success factors for subscription-based models in digital media platforms, to analyse audience consumption habits vis-a-vis payment for digital content on ChimpsReports, to establish the effect of paywalls on the financial bottom-line of ChimpReports, and to establish the barriers to subscription uptake among digital media in Uganda. The theoretical framework adopted the political economy of the media and the disruption of innovations theories to investigate …

The Impact Of Data Smog On Editorial Processes: An Assessment Of Journalists’ Coverage Of Covid-19 Pandemic In Kenya, Anita Chepkoech Tesot

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

This study examined the impact of data smog on editorial processes with a focus on how journalists’ coverage of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19 pandemic in Kenya was impacted by the avalanche of data against the backdrop of misinformation and disinformation. The study was guided by three objectives: (1) to assess the impact of data smog on the sourcing of Covid-9 stories, (2) to examine how journalists covering Covid-19 cope with data smog, and (3) to assess the extent to which data smog impacted the quality of Covid-19 coverage in Kenyan media. The study used two related theoretical frameworks: The …

Whatsapp In The Newsroom: Utilisation Of Whatsapp In Journalistic Practices In Kenya, Valerie R.A. Koga

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

Over the years, technological innovations have become useful in communication and influenced the way people work (UNCTAD, 2018), with social media applications becoming more acceptable for use at work (Agur, 2019; Azeema & Nazuk, 2017; McIntyre & Sobel, 2019). Many newsrooms in Kenya have integrated the use of social media applications in news production. As a result, the social media application WhatsApp has been domesticated by journalists and is widely used as a tool for news gathering and a channel for communication and for news production as a whole. Thus, the study sought to find out what motivates journalists to …

The Cognition And Enjoyment Of Transmedia Journalism Vs Print Journalism, Lea Crittenden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Transmedia journalism is a growing way to get news stories to readers with the new technology of social media platforms. This study, through surveys and a blog, measured information retention/cognition and preference of the interactive platform(s) and the print platform to see which type of transmedia journalism is preferred more to readers and easier for readers to retain more information. The sample was 31 Digital media undergraduate and graduate students concurrently enrolled in the University of Central Florida's Nicholson School of Communication and Media in the Games & Interactive Media program. All participants received at least one story platform consisting …

Assessing Market Readiness And Uptake Of Vod Among University Students In Nairobi, Joan Wetumi Njaro

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

Digital media has opened up on new opportunities for content creation, distribution and monetization. Dwindling revenues in traditional mainstream media been brought by digital influx of content producers and competitors to media for the advertising cake where media houses now have to compete with content consumers who have become content creators and distributors for digital spaces. Increased penetration of mobile phones and the internet across most parts of the country has created opportunities in media content production and consumption as modes of content consumption have also evolved and innovated with time. It is against that backdrop that innovations such as …

Media’S Portrayal Of Women And Its Impact On Body Image And Self-Esteem, Hannah Bareis

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This project addresses the portrayal of women in media and its damaging effects on body image and self-esteem. It raises two critical questions: What negative impact is media creating on women? What can be done to combat these destructive effects?

According to a study done by Common Sense Media, "American teens use an average of 9 hours of media daily, not including for school and homework" (Common Sense Media, 2015). This data, along with many others, shows the severity of media exposure to teens. This has brought a valuable discussion to the table. How has this impacted female body image, …

Psychological Scene Gist And The Perception Of Sustainable Business Models Via Digital Media Audit, Shelby Hansen

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The technology space is giving rise to new business models that impact how we interact with companies, the causes we are interested in, and even our perception of how we process information. Within those contexts, I will be using the psychological concept of scene gist to explore the sustainable business model of clean beauty and investigate the technological ways that these companies interact with Gen Z consumers via social media. Gen Z consumers want to interact with companies who are socially responsible and who contribute to causes they believe in. The clean beauty trend is spearheading efforts to eliminate harmful …