Fall 2019

Countries in Africa have long endured underreported or sensationalized news coverage as images of violence, poverty, and corruption often dominate the international press. Coverage of election processes in the developing world also portrays the continent as hopeless and incapable of democratic elections. This study explored news frames in presidential election coverage in Nigeria, Kenya, and Zimbabwe by three renowned international news organizations: CNN International, BBC World News, and Al Jazeera. The study applied a two-step content analysis by identifying keywords, sources, news frames, and visual elements like images and videos, in 135 news articles. The author concluded that repetitive news frames of violence, corruption, and regression versus progression reinforce audience perceptions that democracy in these countries is unachievable. Additionally, the author found repeated elements, sources, and narratives of the state of democracy in the sampled African nations across each international network, prolonging stereotypes and narratives that these African countries are hopeless republics. Mentor: Glenn Scott

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Adoption is expanding considerably and with it comes sentiments of happiness, sadness, joy, and everything in between. Visual narrative media, too, has begun to tell the stories of adoptees and adoptive parents. This article examines how adoption is presented in visual narrative media – specifically in the films Lion, Instant Family, and Twinster – and if these narratives are representative of the real-world nature of adoption. The analyses suggest that the adoption narrative present in each film, though dramatized, is representative of adoption’s real-life situations and contexts. Additionally, a stereotype of adoption as being lost and then found was observed in these films, which has the potential to create negative implications for viewers, especially for those who are adoptees. Mentor: David Copeland

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While much attention has been drawn to the lack of diversity in Hollywood, many minority groups still lack equal opportunities in the film industry. Roles for women, in particular, have grown slowly, leaving developed female characters far below proportionality. This study looks at the representation of women in the top-five grossing live-action movies directed by men and the top-five grossing live-action movies directed by women in 2018. Based on background quantitative data as well as a qualitative content analysis, this paper found that portrayals of women are much more positive in movies directed by women and that female directors frame female characters much more positively. These positive portrayals are largely affected by the presence of a critical actor behind the scenes. Mentor: Laura Lacy

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Many companies use social media to gain awareness and create relationships with their audience, which includes social media platforms themselves. The tactics behind the use of these platforms come from the overall theory of integrated marketing communications. This study explored how major social media companies Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram employ different social media channels in a strategic way. Through a content analysis, this exploratory research determined which integrated marketing communications tactics were used and how many times they were posted in 2018. Overall, the study found that @Facebook, @Twitter, and @Instagram used different tactics and methods based on the medium they are use and the type of content they share. These findings may contribute to research concerning social media strategy and the strategic use of several social media platforms for a company or brand. Mentor: Don Grady

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Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a growing trend in corporate communications as more organizations are committing to philanthropic and social efforts as an integral part of their business models. Using an online survey, this study examines the relationship between CSR and organizational reputation and consumer buying behavior. More specifically, a CSR campaign conducted by Starbucks is used to understand the impact on perceptions of reputation, potential changes in behavior, and differences in responses based on age groups. Key findings of this study include that CSR campaigns have the ability to improve organizational reputation; however, it is more likely for CSR campaigns to positively impact perceptions of organizational reputation than consumer buying behavior. Mentor: Jooyun Hwang

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Livestreaming, or the practice of playing video games online for an audience in real time, has become a popular, multibillion-dollar industry in the past decade. “Streamers” often use a brand to promote their channels on YouTube and attract an audience. This study uses content analysis of YouTube channel banners to uncover what strategies are employed by streamers to create their brands. Findings of this study suggest that streamers often use similar colors and gaming genres on their channel banners. Moderately sized channels are more specialized in displaying gaming genres than larger and smaller channels, implying there is a path of specialization which channels follow to become popular. Mentor: Jooyun Hwang

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The relationship between aid organizations and social media has been a prominent topic of discussion among scholars and aid critics. This study investigates the Instagram accounts of aid organizations that operate through donations and aid organizations that are government-funded. A content analysis driven by Robert Entman’s Framing theory and using a “perception” coding method by Russmann and Svensson compared the Instagram accounts of Peace Corps (representing government-funded aid organizations) and Habitat for Humanity (representing non-government-funded aid organizations). It was hypothesized that the two Instagram accounts would differ, as non-government-funded aid organizations would use Instagram as a platform to gain donations while government-funded aid organizations would focus on brand recognition. However, this study found that both organizations, whether seeking donations or not, focused on the same aspect throughout Instagram: volunteerism. Mentor: Harlen Makemson

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The topic of refugees and asylum seekers in the United States has come to the forefront as the Syrian conflict continues and Central Americans journey to the country’s southern border. This study analyzed the framing of refugee status and refugees by U.S. presidents since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 until September 11, 2018. Using framing theory, a qualitative content analysis evaluated the U.S. presidential discourse of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump on refugee status and refugees in a total of 72 speeches collected from their respective administrations’ official websites. This research shows that Bush’s and Obama’s references to refugee status and refugees were very similar, emphasizing a national responsibility to assist, while Trump focused on the alleged conflict they could bring to the United States. The topic of how political leaders frame the issue of refugee status and of refugees in the U.S. is not only relevant, but urgent, as the lives and livelihoods of generations of people are impacted by the president’s decisions. Mentor: Vanessa Bravo

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