Social Media Commons^™

Why Are Youtubers Bad At Apologizing?, Tejaswi Amatya

CAFE Symposium 2025

There has been an increasing number of youtuber apology videos in the past few years, but almost all the youtubers fail at apologizing. My poster delves deeper into why are youtubers so bad at apologizing and how they can improve.

Revisiting The Diffusion Of Innovations Theory In The Digital Era: Adoption Of Artificial Intelligence In Social Media, Aliaa Khaled Elshabassy

Theses and Dissertations

The present study aims at revisiting the applicability of Rogers’ diffusion of innovations theory in the digital era, particularly in relation to recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence and their use in social media. The role of generational differences in influencing the adoption and non-adoption of these technologies is also explored. Drawing on the rich insights of qualitative data, the researcher adopts a multi-method approach comprising seventeen interviews with academic and professional experts and four focus group discussions among different generations to collect first-hand insights on AI adoption in the present time. AI was itself used for qualitative data analysis, including …

A Socioeconomic Analysis Of Fashion Entrepreneurs And The Use Of Self-Branding To Influence Consumer Behavior, Jasmine Gibbs-Stepter

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The fashion industry is widely recognized as a significant sector within the global economy, crucially driving trends, creating jobs, and shaping culture. Despite its prominence, entrepreneurs from marginalized socioeconomic backgrounds often encounter considerable hurdles in establishing their businesses and sustaining them over time. These challenges manifest in various forms, including access to vital financial resources, insufficient networking opportunities, and restricted entry into lucrative markets, making it difficult for these entrepreneurs to compete in a dynamic and competitive landscape.

The rise of social media, with platforms like Instagram leading the charge, has ushered in a new era for fashion entrepreneurs. As …

Victim/Perpetrator, David D. Moy

Theses and Dissertations

Throughout this text, David Moy will discuss the inner working of his investigation on image overload and materialization. Through tactics of blurring, erasure, and layering he achieves obfuscation in his printed media. In doing so, he questions the compounding nature of image/text that negate themselves in the larger context of time in the digital age.

Toward An Ecosystem Of Non-Fungible Tokens From Mapping Public Opinions On Social Media, Yunfei Xing, Justin Z. Zhang, Yuming He, Yueqi Li

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

As blockchain technology advances, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are emerging as unconventional assets in the commercial market. However, it is necessary to establish a comprehensive NFT ecosystem that addresses the prevailing public concerns. This study aimed to bridge this gap by analyzing user-generated content on prominent social media platforms such as Twitter, Weibo, and Reddit. Employing text clustering and topic modeling techniques, such as Latent Dirichlet Allocation, we constructed an analytical framework to delve into the intricacies of the NFT ecosystem. Our investigation revealed seven distinct topics from Twitter and Reddit data and eight topics from Weibo data. Weibo users predominantly …

Digital Identity Negotiation: How International Students Balance Home And Host Country Ideals On Social Networking Sites, Oluchi Ikwuakam

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Minority groups, including people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, various ethnicities or races, gender non-conforming individuals, and others who are not part of the societal majority, face daily challenges due to unequal access to digital technology. From elementary school through college, the gap between students with better access to digital tools and those without becomes evident in how these technologies are used in classrooms. International students, who may be a majority group in their home country, become part of a minority in their host country as they seek better educational opportunities. These technologies, such as social networking sites, often reflect the …

Technology-Facilitated Abuse (Tfa): Analyzing Trends, Tactics, And Victim Responses On Reddit, Solomon G. Dandekar

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

The increasing integration of technology into daily life has provided numerous benefits but also significant risks, particularly when exploited by malicious actors in cases of technology facilitated abuse (TFA). Per- petrators can misuse technology to monitor, control, and intimidate their partners, random strangers, etc. exacerbating cycles of abuse. From location tracking and cellphone surveillance to smart device manipula- tion, spyware, and doxing, digital tools have become powerful instruments for coercion and control. This research project investigates the role of technology in stalking and harassment by analyzing discussions on a relevant subreddit where victims share their experiences, strategies for coping, and …

Organic Social Media Strategy For The University Of Akron, Alexander Busch

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project develops a research-based organic social media strategy for the University of Akron, addressing the growing importance of digital communication in higher education and the need for authentic, student-centered engagement. Although the university maintains an active presence on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X, its current content often reflects a corporate tone that limits relatability and audience connection. This project proposes an alternative content strategy instead: organic advertisements. These are unpaid, and rely on the algorithm to be promoted. The project proposes a five-week content calendar featuring mascot-driven campaigns and event-based initiatives to strengthen brand identity and …

2025, 2(21)

Journal of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in Emerging Markets

Full Issue 2025, 2(21)

Precipitation, Perceptions, And Participation: An Analysis Of Individual Perceptions Of Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority's Cloud Seeding Pilot Program And Suggestions For Public Outreach And Communications, Rachel A. Rowlee

Pitzer Senior Theses

Cloud seeding is a form of weather modification intended to increase the amount of precipitation by introducing a seeding agent. The Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA) has implemented a four-year cloud seeding pilot program utilizing silver iodide as a seeding agent during rain storm events. Over the last year, SAWPA received various feedback, much of which exists in the social media realm. This research consists of open-ended interviews with water resource managers, SAWPA employees, and individuals expressing disapproval of the program on social media and Instagram comment analyses. Interview and comment analyses are put into conversation with the theory …

Resilience And Reality: Exploring The Lived Experiences Of People Living With Hiv In Texas During The Covid-19 Pandemic – A Qualitative Study., Ahmed F. Alanazi

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

This study investigated the lived experiences of individuals living with HIV (PLWH) in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area of Texas during the COVID-19 pandemic, using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) framework. The research examined the intersection of health, social dynamics, and psychological resilience among PLWH, who faced compounded vulnerabilities due to systemic inequities and the dual public health crises of HIV and COVID-19. Through semi-structured interviews with ten participants from diverse backgrounds, the study captured the profound impacts of disrupted healthcare systems, heightened stigma, and social isolation on this marginalized population. The findings reveal that the pandemic exacerbated existing inequities …

Understanding Misinformation On Social Media Through Truthfulness Stance, Zhengyuan Zhu

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Misinformation on social media has become a pervasive issue that profoundly influences public opinion and decision-making. As false or misleading claims circulate widely online, there is a critical need for analytical tools to understand how people react to such claims. This dissertation introduces the concept of truthfulness stance as a key lens for social sensing. In essence, truthfulness stance assesses whether a textual utterance believes a factual claim to be true, false, or expresses a neutral stance or no stance toward the claim. Leveraging stance in this manner fills an important gap in misinformation research: it enables us to gauge …

I Love You, But I’Ve Got To Cancel You: Psychological Determinants And Consequences Of Cancel Culture Participation, Rebecca Tukachinsky Forster, Daniel H. Spitz

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

This study explores how individuals react to celebrities who take a political stance that contradicts and threatens their social identity. An online experiment examines these questions in the context of the Israeli war against Hamas in the wake of the October 7 terror attack. Israeli Jewish participants who were led to believe that a beloved celebrity fully embraced the Palestinian’s narrative and condemned Israel experienced more negative and less positive emotions and had a greater intention to cancel the celebrity. However, writing a comment or a social media post (particularly if the comment bashed the celebrity) partially buffered these emotional …

An Analysis Of Data Journalism In Kenyan Newsrooms During Kenya’S 2022 General Elections, Poshia Syindu Musesya

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

Data journalism allows journalists to present balanced, accurate, and relevant news, thereby greatly improving the quality and credibility of the news. Data in this context refers to facts, statistics, or pieces of information and journalism refers to the occupation of reporting, writing, editing, photographing, broadcasting news, or operating a news organization. This thesis uses a mixed-method approach to assess the use of data journalism in the 2022 Kenyan general election across three media houses, namely: the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Nation Media Group (NMG), and Royal Media Services (RMS). The approach used combines qualitative and quantitative methods to address research …

The Adoption Of Ai In Zimbabwe’S Newsrooms: A Case Of Zimpapers And Alpha Media Holdings, Muchemwa Silence Mugadzaweta

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has changed the face of journalism in many ways. Newsrooms across the world are deploying AI in various aspects of news gathering distribution and creation. Many newsrooms are also at different stages when it comes to AI adoption. The general objective of this study was to examine the adoption of AI in two media houses in Zimbabwe: Zimpapers and Alpha Media Holdings (AMH), from newsroom operations and insights from journalists and editors to understand their perception and views on the future of journalism in the wake of AI technologies as well as documenting the status thereof. This …

Analysing Government Communication Strategies In Combating Information Disorder On Social Media: A Study Of Uganda’S Tax Monitoring System, Simon Tumwine Mugisha

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

This research provides an analysis of the communication strategies that government communicators are utilising in a bid to counter wrong narratives on the Ugandan social media space, using the Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT). The study focuses on the nature of information disorder that revolved around the Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution (EFRIS), introduced in January 2021 by Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) and how it was stemmed. Through extensive content analysis of social media posts on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, 2 Key Informant interviews (KIIs) with key URA officials and 2 two In-depth interviews (IDIs) with tax and …

Nmg’S Post- Covid Monetization Efforts: The Case Of Nation Africa, Veronica Wanjiru Kiarie

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

Revenue sources for traditional media houses have been decreasing and media houses need to be able to find alternative ways to increase revenue. The Kenyan media industry is struggling to generate revenue due to shifts in business models where advertisers are targeting potential customers directly instead of using traditional media. This study adopted a qualitative research approach and utilized a case study research design to fulfil its research objectives: (i) To identify key factors influencing successful monetization on NMG’s platform. (ii) To analyze the successes and failures of NMG monetization strategies during the past five years, and (iii) To develop …

The Rise Of Influencer Marketing And Its Implications On Kenyan Legacy Media Houses' Revenues, Stephen Onjwaya Mbego

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

The growth of social media influencers popularity has substantially disrupted traditional media and advertising landscapes, redefining audience engagement, brand marketing strategies, and revenue streams for legacy media houses. This study investigates the implications of influencer marketing on Kenyan legacy media, exploring shifts in audience preferences, financial impacts, and factors influencing advertisers toward influencer marketing. Building on the disruptive innovation theory and qualitative data from interviews with media professionals, influencers, advertisers, and audiences, the study reveals a fundamental shift in content consumption and advertising dynamics. Findings show that social media influencers thrive in direct audience engagement, authenticity, and niche targeting, catering …

Investigating Media Relations Strategies Used By Ugandan Universities To Enhance Corporate Image: A Study Of Four Higher Education Institutions, Walter Wekongo Washika

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

A strong corporate image is crucial for organization's to thrive in a competitive market. Discrepancies between corporate image and corporate identity can lead to confusion among stakeholders, potentially resulting in crises that harm the institution's brand. Effective media relations strategies are essential for shaping stakeholder perceptions and strengthening corporate image. This study aimed to investigate how four universities (two public and two private universities) in Uganda use media relations to enhance their corporate image, focusing on the media relations strategies used, their effectiveness, and the challenges faced. Using Grunig's Excellence Theory from 1985, it employed a qualitative approach with in-depth …

Individual Determinants Of Premium Content Subscription Decisions In Kenya: A Case Of Nation Media Group, Lisa Wagethi Kamau

Master of Arts in Digital Journalism

The transformation in the media industry from traditional platforms of TV, radio and print to digital media platforms had necessitated a shift in business models. Traditionally, media organizations depended on circulation and advertising to generate revenues and fund their journalism, however, the revenues from these models have been dwindling, leading to massive layoffs and company closures. Many media organizations are now adopting the subscription model as a possible revenue earner, but this move has been difficult to implement. The main challenge facing the news subscription business model is that audiences have become used to free news content on the internet …