Browsing by Author "Camaj, Lindita"
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Item Beyond the Great Firewall: A Case Study of Inter-media Agenda Setting Effects between Chinese and Western Reporting on Corruption in China(2017-05) Liu, Leiyu; Camaj, Lindita; Choi, Hojoon; Tedin, Kent L.This study examines inter-media agenda setting effects between Chinese and Western reporting on the single case of Zhou Yongkang’s imprisonment. Through a comprehensive content analysis of 323 Chinese-language news articles from Chinese state-run media, mainland Chinese media, Hong Kong media, Taiwanese media, Western media, and immigrant Chinese media, this paper explores how attribute agendas in different types of media’s news reports are mutually correlated. Results show Chinese state-run media’s agendas dramatically impact attribute agendas in mainland China and Hong Kong media’s reports on Zhou Yongkang’s issue, while the inter-media agenda setting effects of Chinese state-run media does not reach Taiwanese media, Western media, and immigrant Chinese media. Also, this study content analyzes 652 Chinese-language Tweets on Zhou Yongkang’s issue. Findings suggest attribute agendas of Chinese-language Tweets most significantly correlate with attribute agendas in Western media’s reports on Zhou Yongkang’s imprisonment, although immigrant media is most frequently referenced by Chinese-language Tweets.Item Celebrity Social Media Influencers and the Diffusion of NFTs on Twitter(2023-05-24) Merkoulov, Andrei P.; Camaj, Lindita; Harlow, Summer; Huang, YanExpanding on the diffusion of innovations theory and using the two-step flow model of communication, this thesis examines the role of celebrity social media influencers (SMI) on Twitter and their marketing of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). This paper explored the effects that parasocial relationships may have in mediating audience attitudes toward the new innovation, and whether or not they choose to accept or reject it. Using an experiment-survey, participants were exposed to stimuli, created for the purposes of this study, of celebrity SMI tweets that promote NFTs along with answering a series of questions relating to participants’ attitudes and future use intention toward NFTs. Participants also answered questions about any presence of parasocial relationships they may have with the celebrity. This research explored the diffusion of innovations theory in our current media environment, the role of celebrity SMIs and parasocial relationships as it relates to the theory, and found a significant relationship between fans with a stronger parasocial relationship having a stronger future usage intention. Finally, this thesis calls for more opportunities to better understand the role that parasocial relationships can have in the diffusion of innovations theory.Item Corporate Social Responsibility and the Magic of Meaning Theory in Major Corporations LGBTQ+ Pride Advertisements(2023-04-13) Foret, CaitlynThe objective of this research is to find what types of pride campaigns produce the best results for the company advertising and for the LGBTQ+ community and use the findings to pinpoint the ideal campaign that implements social issues. Through analyzing the campaign components, the company benefits from the campaign, and the gay community gain from the campaign, I will evaluate the relationship between these dilemmas to determine if they influence each other and if more detailed and physically supportive campaigns prove to be more beneficial for all parties. I theorize that when companies A. Donate money to politicians and political causes that support LGBTQ+ causes and rights, B. physically or monetarily contribute to LGBTQ+ activism, and C. Produce authentic and well-considered social media and advertisement campaigns, then the corporation will receive more revenue, a positive image, and consumer support because of the consistency they place in CSR advertising and implementation practices. Therefore, companies in the future that implement consistent CSR communications related to LGBTQ+ pride and equality will also be successful, and there will be an approximately linear relationship between the implementation of these items and corporate gain.Item Elements of an Echo Chamber: Partisanship and Previous Exposure as Moderators of 'Last Week Tonight's' Media Effects(2018-12) Scott, Samuel Truett; Camaj, Lindita; Hellmueller, Lea; Cutbirth, Joe H.The 2016 presidential election cast light on political polarization in the United States. Generally, the discussion regarding polarization in communication scholarship is concerned with selective exposure to partisan media and its effects. The prospect of political ‘echo chambers’ that result worries communication scholars our polarized media is detrimental to democratic discourse. One example of partisan programming is Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (LWT), an acclaimed political comedy program that critiques and comments on contemporary politics with a ‘liberal’ slant. Influenced by the Reinforcing Spirals Framework, the present study finds Democrats are more likely to agree with John Oliver on net neutrality issues, but only if the participants were exposed to John Oliver’s video clip on net neutrality. Similarly, previous exposure to LWT was associated with higher intentions to participate for those exposed to the clip. The results shed light on the process of political polarization in the United States.Item Exploring Perceptions of Fake News Using Situational Theories(2018-05) Perez, Felicia Russell; Vardeman-Winter, Jennifer; Camaj, Lindita; Rottinghaus, BrandonThe purpose of this study was to understand how the younger generations of eligible voters perceive fake news and distinguish it from truth. In this exploratory study, the situational theory of publics and situational theory of problem solving provided the theoretical framework to investigate how these eligible voters, ages 18 – 28, define and identify fake news, how they believe the issue can be combatted and what characteristics they draw upon to recognize fake news. For this study, qualitative focus groups were conducted to measure media literacy and information-seeking behaviors. Findings suggest that the younger population identifies fake news as propaganda, advertising, satire, bad journalism, complete falsehoods and through cultural lexicon. While they perceive fake news as a problem, few have insight on how to solve it. Furthermore, this age demographic receives their information primarily through social media and social influencers. While many studied are latent or aware publics, the younger generations show a high tendency to become active on hot topic issues. This study is a fusion of journalism and public relations communication as it expands upon situational theories and media literacy theory. Practical implications include suggested factors to prevent the spread of fake news by improving media communication tactics.Item Exploring the Digital Literacy Divide Among American Teens: Influences of Parent Education, Gender and Race(2017-05) Greenberg, Maegan R.; Camaj, Lindita; Yamasaki, Jill; Santana, Arthur D.The purpose of this study was to explore if there were correlations between parental education, gender and race with U.S. teenagers’ high-risk behaviors, positive behaviors and self-efficacy when it comes to digital literacy. The analysis found a statistically significant effect of gender, race, and parental education on high-risk behaviors, positive behaviors and self-efficacy. Notably, it was found that high-risk behaviors among Black/African American students whose parents have low and high education varied the most. Self-efficacy was higher among all race categories when parental education was high. Positive behaviors increased the most between Native American students with low verse high parental education. The data also suggests that females have lower high-risk behaviors, greater self-efficacy and more positive behaviors as compared to males. This study contributes to a more recent body of literature around teenage digital literacy behaviors and digital self-efficacy, particularly with its implication for policy and education efforts. It also expands the application of knowledge gap theory.Item From Selective Exposure to Selective Information Processing: A Motivated Reasoning Approach(2019-06-30) Camaj, LinditaLiterature suggests that while without doubt people engage in selective exposure to information, this does not entail that they also engage in selective avoidance of opinion-challenging information. However, cross-cutting exposure does not always lead to dispassionate deliberation. In this commentary I explore psychological conditions as they apply to attitude-based selection and make an argument that selectivity does not stop at exposure but continues as audiences engage with information they encounter and incorporate in their decision-making. I propose the theory of motivated reasoning as a rich theoretical underpinning that helps us understand selective exposure and selective information processing.Item Media Framing of the Movement for Black Lives(2017-12) Perkins, Michelle Lee; Camaj, Lindita; Choi, Hojoon; D'Alessandro Behr, FrancescaMedia framing can greatly impact the influence of social movements. Disseminating their messages is a social movement’s essential task in its struggle against hegemonic norms. Prior research suggests that media frames often marginalize and dismiss social movements rather than shedding light on their most important issues and messages. By employing a content analysis of three broadcast news networks with differing political ideologies and the New York Times, the present study examined news stories to determine how the Movement for Black Lives was framed during its initial four years. The study measured for marginalization tactics of the media, messages of the movement, each outlet’s sourcing trends, and how coverage and overall tone changed over time. The results are compared by ideology of the media outlet. Results are discussed with regard to similar prior research.Item The Ethical Standing of Forensic Characters in Prime-Time Police Procedurals: Principled, Compassionate, and Human(2020-05) Hawkins, Stacee Brown; Camaj, Lindita; Yamasaki, Jill; Lacroix, LaurelOnly a small percentage of Americans have direct contact with law enforcement or the criminal justice system. Much of our understanding of criminal justice comes from media consumption, with an increasing contribution from fictional crime procedurals. Many of these programs are ensembles which include forensic scientists. Previous studies have examined how the science of forensics is conducted and interpreted on these series. This study contributes to the existing research by examining how the moral and ethical code of the forensic scientist is portrayed on television. It aims to address the question: Are these characters as depicted trustworthy? A message system analysis was conducted of 80 episodes, 20 from each of four prime-time American ensemble crime dramas. Quantitative coding recorded the number and types of violations. Qualitative content analysis examined justifications given by characters of their own violations and their reactions to the violations of others. Forensic scientists were significantly less likely to commit violations than traditional investigators, such as detectives and special agents. Compared to traditional investigators, forensic scientists were more likely to focus on interpersonal rather than procedural justifications, and more likely to express personal concern for the impact of committing violations on the physical and emotional health of their colleagues.Item The Human Show: A Study into Cultivation, Perceptions, and Politics(2016-05) Dashtabadi, Mariam; Camaj, Lindita; Santana, Arthur D.; Jowett, Garth S.To determine the cultivation effects on the variables of recency, frequency, and vivid memories, this study examines the effects of political drama entertainment television on viewers' political perceptions and aids to the understanding of the psychological information processing of television content as a moderator of media effects. By utilizing the heuristic processing model, this study determines if people with vivid memories for dramatic content are more prone to have stronger views on political institutions. A survey was administered to 254 undergraduate students from a southwestern university in which participants filled out an online questionnaire where they identified television consumption by genre, frequency, recency, personal perceptions of real world politics, and gave a short answer describing a political drama scene which was coded for vividness. Examination into cultivation demonstrated that respondents with a history with viewing political dramas rendered stronger, usually negative, values for political institutions than those who did not.Item The Impact of News Media, Entertainment Media, and Intergroup Contact on People of the United States’ Stereotypes Regarding Russian People(2023-05-12) Phan, Alexandra Sofia; Camaj, Lindita; Harlow, Summer; Hellmueller, LeaThe United States and Russia have had a turbulent relationship over the last 200 years, marked by short periods of amity and long periods of antagonism. Since the Cold War, U.S. media have played an important role in establishing the “other” and “enemy” status of Russia. The purpose of this thesis was to determine how news media, entertainment media, and intergroup contact influence people of the United States’ stereotypes and opinions about Russian people. Employing the theoretical framework of cultivation theory and intergroup contact theory, this thesis used a cross-sectional survey in which participants were asked about their news media consumption, entertainment media consumption, and personal experiences they have with Russian people, as well as their level of agreement with stereotypes and positive statements about Russian people. Overall, the results suggest that news and entertainment content consumption does impact U.S. people’s stereotypes about Russian people. Consumption of international news and entertainment content from streaming services is likely to result in more positive views of Russian people, as opposed to a narrower range of entertainment programming through cable TV, that portrays a smaller range of perspectives, or news consumption through U.S. network news, cable news, or newspapers.Item Trump and the Spiral of Silence(2022-05-12) Roberts, Dustin Shane; Madrid-Morales, Daniel; Camaj, Lindita; Archer, Allison M. N.This study explores how 14 conservative college students managed their political expressions on campus during and after the 2020 U.S. presidential election with Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann’s theory of the spiral of silence. Through conducting in-depth qualitative interviews with conservative students or alumni from the University of Houston and Texas A&M University, it was found that several participants from the University of Houston felt strong social pressure to censor their political expressions while most of the sample from Texas A&M University did not. Students in the sample reported experiencing social pressure in two primary domains: classrooms and greater campus. This paper contributes to theory by considering the role that institutions can play in peoples’ political expressions. Findings suggested a possible association between two-step flow theory and the spiral of silence theory in some outcomes. Affective social interactions with professors and other students, or “episodes” are discussed.Item Walk It Like You Talk It: Corporate Social Responsibility and the Magic of Meaning Theory in Major Corporations LGBTQ+ Pride Advertisements(2023-05-02) Foret, CaitlynMillennial advertising audiences are more pro-LGBTQ+ and care more deeply about queer issues than prior generations. Corporate brands have responded to this demographic shift by implementing LGBTQ+ issues into their marketing strategy thus boosting cultural influence and increasing profits. Through utilizing corporate social responsibility and the magic of meaning theory, corporations that produce pride advertisements such as Target, Nike, and CVS have gained popularity and increased profit when they produce pride campaigns with consistent communication and implementation of CSR. This thesis analyzes the implementation and communication of LGBTQ+-related affairs of several corporations that produce pride advertisements, including their donations to politicians and pro-LGBTQ+ or anti-LGBTQ+ causes, physical or monetary contributions to LGBTQ+ activism, and the authenticity of their social media, corporate communication, and advertising campaigns. This research concludes with an analysis of how corporations should approach CSR related to social causes like LGBTQ+ activism as a result of the findings in the case studies of three corporations.