Department: Communication Studies ![[clear]](close-x.png "Remove this limiter")
60 matches in the database.
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1.
Agozzino, Alisa L.
Millennial Students Relationship with 2008 Top 10 Social Media Brands via Social Media Tools.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2010, Bowling Green State University
► The purpose of this study was to examine links between organization-public relationships…
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▼ The purpose of this study was to examine links between organization-public relationships and Millennial students'active social media behavior. The Millennial Generation is a key target audience who many public relations practitioners are certainly trying to reach. Social media tools are emerging as technology medium must-haves for public relations practitioners. This study looked at the collision of the new social media tools and the Millennial audience within the four models of public relations (Grunig and Hunt, 1984) through the relationship management framework lens. Four research questions and hypotheses were posed. Millennial students from two Midwestern universities were randomly selected to complete a survey on their relationship with the top 10 most social companies/brands as named by Ad Age, as well as the engagement with social media tools in general and specifically with those top 10 companies/brands. A total of 1,062 participants completed the survey. The break down of gender for the sample was consistent with the demographic makeup of both campuses as a whole with 43.6% male (n= 463) and 56.4% female (n= 599) completing the survey. Findings highlighted that Millennials engage with e-mail and social networking (e.g., MySpace/Facebook) more than other social media tools. For all companies/brands except CNN and Dell, as participants'general use of social media tools increased, their wanting to continue a relationship with the company/brand also increased. However, when Millennials were exposed to a variety of social media tools by each company/brand, no significant correlations were found for wanting their relationship to continue with that particular company/brand. No significant differences were found between gender and interaction with social media tools.
Advisors/Committee Members: Rentner, Terry.
Subjects: Marketing; Mass media
Keywords: Millennial Students; Ad Age; Social Media; Facebook; Twitter; YouTube; Cell Phone; New Media; Public Relations; PR; Relationships; Blogs; Podcasting; Relationship Management; Apple; CNN; Disney; Xbox; Starbucks; MTV; Sony; Dell; ipod; iphone
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2.
Al-Mutawah, Hoda.
GENDER RELATIONS IN THE ARAB WORLD: A RHETORICAL CRITICISM OF NAGUIB MAHROUZ'S AWLAD HARATINA.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2005, Bowling Green State University
► This study examined the novel by Nahjib Mahfouz, Awlad Haratina, or Children…
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▼ This study examined the novel by Nahjib Mahfouz, Awlad Haratina, or Children of the Alley. The goal of this examination was to reveal how gender relations are rhetorically created within the Arab cultural context. This study found that two rhetorical strategies mediated gender relations and provided a path for improving gender relations. The strategies were Lamentation and Muruwa.
Advisors/Committee Members: Gonzalez, Alberto.
Keywords: Mahfouz; ARAB; AWLAD HARATINA; ARABIC; GENDER RELATIONS
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3.
Armentrout, Jenny A.
Sugar, Salt, and Fat: Michelle Obama's Rhetoric Concerning the Let's Move! Initiative, Binary Opposition, Weight Obsession, and the Obesity Paradox.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2011, Bowling Green State University
► The goal of this project was to conduct a textual analysis on…
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▼ The goal of this project was to conduct a textual analysis on the social and political implications of First Lady Michelle Obama’s rhetorical artifacts from 2009 to 2011 regarding her childhood obesity campaign and widely-supported initiative entitled Let's Move! The analysis examined the remarks made by Michelle Obama regarding childhood obesity at five separate speaking engagements. The research focused on the rhetorical and social construction of weight, while emphasizing the immediate need for policy-change and a human rights focus in relation to weight discourses. The major objective of this work was to investigate discursive and symbolic themes of empowerment, peace-building, violence, dehumanization, globalization, sustainability, consumption, consumerism, and performativity while drawing on critical rhetorical studies and health communication scholarship to challenge the status quo of binary opposition, weight obsession, and the obesity paradox in lieu of contemporary US weight discourses.
Advisors/Committee Members: Gorsevski, Ellen.
Subjects: American Studies; Communication; Environmental Studies; Gender Studies; Health; Kinesiology; Language; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Multimedia Communications; Peace Studies; Public Health; Rhetoric; Social Structure; Womens Studies
Keywords: weight discourses; obesity; fat; rhetorical criticism; communication; Michelle Obama; sustainability; globalization; consumption; consumerism; peace-building; violence; empowerment; dehumanization; binary opposition; weight obsession; obesity paradox
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4.
Baumann, James A.
Why do I have to switch to DTV? An Analysis of Public Interest in the Digital Television Transition.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2009, Bowling Green State University
► This study provides a critical investigation of the digital television transition in…
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▼ This study provides a critical investigation of the digital television transition in the United States using a Delphi panel. The panelists consisted of individuals from governmental, industrial, and societal backgrounds, representing the conceptualizations of public interest defined by Krugman and Reid (1980), Galtung (1999), and modified by Book (2004). The findings were analyzed using Rogers’ (2003) Diffusion of Innovations as the theoretical framework, particularly the perceived attributes of innovations in relation to public interest, adopter categories, and the innovation-decision process. Overall, the findings indicate that near-universal (98% of U.S. households) adoption of digital television will occur later than the previously proposed February 17, 2009 transition date and that the federal government’s decision to transition to an all-digital television system is not in the public’s interest. The research also found nine prominent issues facing viewers both during and after the digital television transition. Analyses of these, as well as the applicability of the diffusion framework for analyzing the digital television transition are presented.
Advisors/Committee Members: Boyd-Barrett, Oliver.
Subjects: Communication; Mass media; Technology
Keywords: digital television; public interest; DTV; HDTV; Delphi; diffusion; diffusion of innovations; Rogers; technology; media; digital; high-definition
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5.
Borton, Ian M.
Victim offender communication in felony cases: An archival analysis of Ohio's Office of Victim Services dialogue program.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2008, Bowling Green State University
► In this dissertation, I studied victim offender dialogue files archived by Ohio's…
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▼ In this dissertation, I studied victim offender dialogue files archived by Ohio's Office of Victim Services (OVS). The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction runs OVS. The Office of Victim Services has processed 349 individual dialogue cases. The OVS director was interested in knowing why only one in four initiated dialogue files complete actual face-to-face dialogue. I conducted an archived data analysis on a sample (N = 212) of OVS completed and will-not-proceed files. Victim offender dialogue programs are typically based on restorative justice theory and, compared to traditional criminal justice processes, have been shown to increase victim and offender satisfaction, decrease offender recidivism, and increase rates of restitution. I posited two hypotheses regarding offender race and the effect of time on dialogue completion. Chi square and Fisher's exact tests were conducted and indicate that neither offender race nor the passage of time had a significant effect on dialogue completion rates. However, a victim's relationships to the offender, victim sex, and the dialogue file initiator were each found to significantly impact dialogue completion rates. I also include descriptive analyses of victim motivations for seeking dialogue. This research has implications regarding relational communication, conflict mediation, and restorative justice theory. Finally, I offer several suggestions regarding OVS practices as well as other uses of restorative dialogue in the contexts of severe crime and felonies.
Advisors/Committee Members: Dixon, Lynda D.
Subjects: Communication; Criminology; Sociology
Keywords: restorative justice; dialogue; VOM; mediation; victim; offender; intimates; conflict
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6.
Braziunaite, Ramune.
Isolated Incidents or Deliberate Policy? Media Framing of U.S. Abu Ghraib and British Detainee Abuse Scandals During the Iraq War.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2011, Bowling Green State University
► In order to examine how the detainee abuse by American and British…
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▼ In order to examine how the detainee abuse by American and British forces tested not only the media's ability to report on human rights abuses but also their professed ability to serve as watchdogs for their respective governments, this dissertation used the constructionist framing approach to compare news stories about abuse in Iraq that appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian and the Times (London), from April 29, 2004 to May 14, 2004. Findings showed that abuse conducted by the American troops was covered extensively by the newspapers in both countries while the American newspapers tended to ignore revelations of abuse by British troops. However, volume is not the only significant measure of coverage quality. Reporting on human rights abuses is a complex process demanding both resources to investigate abuse as well as careful consideration about when and how to disclose them to the public. While Abu Ghraib photographs were the strongest impetus for disclosing the abuse by American soldiers, news coverage of British abuse was complicated by initial publication of what turned out to be photos of staged reenactment of abuse. The study found noteworthy differences in how the four newspapers defined, interpreted, evaluated, and treated abuse by both armies. Contrary to findings suggested by previous research, the newspapers examined in this study favored attribution of responsibility to the system rather than individuals in their coverage of U.S. events. However, the newspapers blamed individuals for the abuse by British forces. The four newspapers were similar in how they depersonalized and dehumanized Iraqi victims by utilizing the “them versus us” dichotomy to frame the people who appeared in the coverage. Reliance on official sources was noted as another significant commonality. The differences, however, were reflected in how the four newspapers utilized labels to portray the severity of abuse. These and the other findings from the study point to how valuable framing analysis is as an approach to exploring how the media function to constrict, manipulate or simply form readers' attitudes, values and knowledge of topics of such vital importance as torture and abuse.
Advisors/Committee Members: Cassara, Catherine.
Subjects: Journalism; Mass Communications; Mass Media
Keywords: media framing; war coverage; human rights abuses; Abu Ghraib; constructionist approach to framing
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7.
Brunner, Isaac.
Taken to the Extreme: Heavy Metal Cover Songs – The Impact of Genre.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2006, Bowling Green State University
► Investigations of popular music forms that have been negatively portrayed in popular…
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▼ Investigations of popular music forms that have been negatively portrayed in popular media, such as heavy metal and rap, have been largely limited to analyses of lyrics (e.g., Hansen and Hansen, 1991; St. Lawrence and Joyner, 1991; Ballard and Coates, 1995; Anderson, Carnagey, and Eubanks, 2003), even though evidence of the sound being more important than the words was demonstrated as far back as 1969 (Robinson and Hirsch). The present investigation was conducted in response to this void in the literature. To test the music, a two-part multimethodological study was employed, consisting of an experiment and surveys, to analyze how music genres are cognitively processed by listeners. The first study tested differences in people’s perceptions of different music genre labels and their impact on song lyrics. The second study tested differences in musical genres using pop original and heavy metal cover songs as stimuli. Data collection was gathered via questionnaires consisting of both open- and closed-ended items. When rigorously assessing people’s behaviors, perceptions, and self-reports identifying media consumption preferences, the investigation’s findings refute a direct effects approach to music listening and underscore the complexity of individual difference factors. Most notably, a distinction between the concepts of music and lyric was found, providing evidence that previous research in this area has not accounted for the complex nature of music consumption. Detailed results of hypotheses testing are provided and discussed in relation to previous research. Additionally, arguments are advanced for using more complex theoretical perspectives and data collection methods. Finally, the results of both studies provide directions for future research to explore.
Advisors/Committee Members: Spirek, Melissa.
Keywords: heavy metal; music; lyrics; direct effects
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8.
Burton, Aaron V.
Jesus in the Movies: A Rhetorical Analysis of Selected Films from 1912-2004.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2008, Bowling Green State University
► The purpose of this investigation is to discuss popular film interpretations of…
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▼ The purpose of this investigation is to discuss popular film interpretations of Christ’s life and how the films’ narratives function rhetorically. These films become part of the rhetorical dialogue and add to the discussion of Christianity. Using Fisher’s (1984) Narrative Paradigm, a thematic and character analysis is conducted identifying the common themes of sacrifice and vengeance, noting the progress in the Christ character. Six films have been selected for analyses that represent both the successes and failures of the Christ Film genre. The films selected are From the Manger to the Cross (1912), The King of Kings (1927), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and The Passion of The Christ (2004). In addition, the investigation seeks to understand each film in the particular period that it was produced. Using rhetorical analysis and history data, this investigation attempts to understand the ways that films about Jesus aid in spreading the message of the Gospels.
Advisors/Committee Members: Makay, John J.
Subjects: Speech Communication
Keywords: Rhetoric; Rhetorical Criticism; Narrative Paradigm; Christ Film; Film Criticism; Religious Communication; Christianity
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9.
Chao, Chin-Chung.
Cultural Values and Expectations of Female Leadership Styles in Non-Profit Organizations: A Study of Rotary Clubs in Taiwan and the United States.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2008, Bowling Green State University
► The present cross-cultural study applies leadership frameworks developed by Bass and Avolio…
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▼ The present cross-cultural study applies leadership frameworks developed by Bass and Avolio and modifies the cultural dimensions proposed by Hofstede to explore and compare the relationships between cultural values and corresponding expectations of female leadership styles in a non-profit organization in Taiwan and the United States of America. In total, 550 Rotarians in Taiwan and another 550 Rotarians in the United States were invited to complete a survey so as to reveal the relationships between Rotarians' cultural values and their expected female leadership styles. In addition, for a deeper and insightful understanding of the female leadership styles in non-profit settings, the method of semi-structured interview is used to raise participants' as well as the researcher's consciousness of and critical reflections upon social practices regarding female leadership. The research results are five-fold: First, Rotarians in Taiwan have higher scores in all of the four cultural dimensions of collectivism, masculinity, customs, and long-term relationships than Rotarians in the United States. Second, among the three major leadership styles, Rotarians in both countries expect female leaders to display transformational leadership. However, laissez-faire leadership style can be better explained by the variables of cultural values and country than demographic factors. Third, the emerged seven qualities in the female leaders in Rotary Clubs in both countries correspond with the characteristics of transformational leadership style. Fourth, the interview data indicate a common use of obliging and integrating conflict management strategies among the female leaders in both countries. Finally, this research also manifests that, to successfully confront gender discrimination and break the glass ceiling, female leaders oftentimes need to be more progressive and active and sometimes make necessary compromises of their female qualities. The results of this study also reveal that culture is not the only factor to account for the expected female leadership styles. The future study of leadership concepts and styles should include more variables such as organizational culture, political system, language, and feminine or masculine characteristics. To ensure the validity of research findings, this study triangulates surveys and semi-structured interviews and injects breadth and depth in describing the relationship between cultural values and female leadership styles revealing the cultural perceptions of Rotarians in both Taiwan and the United States. The results of the study build an understanding of cultural values and expected female leadership styles in non-profit organizations while also contributing to the knowledge of organizational communication and cross-cultural leadership.
Advisors/Committee Members: Ha, Louisa.
Subjects: Communication
Keywords: cultural vlaues; expectations of female leadership styles; conflict management strategies; non-profit organizaiton of Rotary Clubs
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10.
Cheng, Hsin-I.
Culturing on the Borderlands—A Critical Ethnography on Taiwanese and Chinese Transnational Practices.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2006, Bowling Green State University
► The U.S.-Mexico border has long been a site for cultural intermix and…
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▼ The U.S.-Mexico border has long been a site for cultural intermix and struggles as the global territories become more connected for capital flows. Such a space has drawn researchers from various disciplines to understand the impacts of the high as well as unequal volume of traveling. This ethnography critically examines the everyday communicative activities enacted and cultural identities (per)formed by a group of Taiwanese and Chinese transnationalists who arrived to the borderlands of El Paso and Juárez in the beginning of the 21st century. Rather than viewing culture as static, this research approaches it as an active creature which changes and grows through communication—traveling and dwelling on the border. This dissertation narrates daily interactions where space such as El Paso is (re)constructed during communicative events in relations to places of Taiwan, China, Mexico, and the United States. Moreover, these relationships are ordered hierarchically, thus places are fixed in to ranked spaces. This spatial hierarchy then serves as the logic determining which communicative activities are to be engaged in on the El Paso/ Juárez border. Drawing mainly from S. Hall, H. Bhabha, and G. Anzaldúa, cultural identities are understood as processes of hybridizations. In the midst of traveling and dwelling in between borders, my transnational friends (re)invent and (per)form various cultural activities such as Baptist rituals, festival celebrations, and language learning. Cultural identities are strategically (dis)articulated through everyday activities. Cultural values such as Confucianism and Christianity are selectively hybridized for more mobility.
Advisors/Committee Members: González, Alberto.
Keywords: Border, Chinese, Taiwanese, Culture, Communication, Transnationalism
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11.
Cline, Benjamin J.
REACHING OTHERS: THE RHETORIC OF PROSELYTIZING AND COMMUNITY OF A CHRISTIAN CAMPUS ORGANIZATION.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2005, Bowling Green State University
► This study examines the proselytizing rhetoric of a campus religious organization (CRO)…
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▼ This study examines the proselytizing rhetoric of a campus religious organization (CRO) using a combination of rhetorical, ethnographic and autoethnographic methods. In order to do this, the study first places CRO within historically and doctrinally within the framework of the Restoration Movement. Secondly the study describes the ways in which proselytizing can be done in a sensitive manner. Seven criteria are proposed in order to gage the sensitivity of proselytizing rhetoric. Next, the study explains how the tools of rhetorical theory and criticism can be applied to a community such as CRO by appropriating some of the tools of an ethnographer. These tools include participant observation and depth interviewing in order to gain access to the rhetoric of a community. An explanation is included in this description as to which communities can be studied as rhetors. Once this is done the worldview into which the rhetoric of CRO attempts to inculcate in others during their proselytizing is described. The study then critiques the techniques used for swaying others toward that worldview using the combination of ethnographic tools and rhetorical criticism in order to evaluate the rhetoric of CRO with regards to sensitivity. This critique shows that according to most of the criteria, CRO’s proselytizing rhetoric is alternatively sensitive and insensitive. Finally the study autoethnographically examines the writing process itself and the limitations of rhetorical criticism and ethnography as tools of studying phenomena with strong spiritual components.
Advisors/Committee Members: Makay, John J.
Keywords: Rhetoric; Ethnography; Religion; College Student Development
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12.
Cooley, Laura.
Patient-Centered Care and Mindfulness in Hospice Volunteer Communication Experiences.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2012, Bowling Green State University
► Hospice agencies provide comforting care and improved quality of life for terminally…
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▼ Hospice agencies provide comforting care and improved quality of life for terminally ill patients who choose to cease curative treatments. Hospice volunteers offer social, informational, and task-oriented support to hospice patients, families, and hospice workers. Law requires that hospice organizations receiving federal reimbursements must involve volunteers in at least 5% of overall patient care (Hospice Foundation of America [HFA], 2010). This ethnographic and interview study explored the manifestations of patient-centered care (PCC), mindfulness, and communication in the hospice volunteer experience. The constant comparison methods of grounded theory (Corbin & Strauss, 2008; Glaser & Strauss, 1967) allowed for category development by comparing one incident or situation to another, and by looking for similarities and differences. A Heart Model of Hospice Volunteer Experiences is proposed based on findings from interviews with hospice volunteers and in accordance with previous literature. This model may be used to guide hospice organizations in theoretical and applied understandings of PCC, mindfulness, and communication embedded in the hospice volunteer experience. Practical implications include recommendation lists developed to assist hospice organizations in recruitment and training efforts.
Advisors/Committee Members: Dixon, Lynda.
Subjects: Communication
Keywords: patient-centered care; mindfulness; hospice; grounded theory
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13.
Dako-Gyeke, Phyllis.
Examining the Meaning-Making of Hiv/Aids Media Campaign Messages: A Feminist Ethnography in Ghana.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2009, Bowling Green State University
► This dissertation is an ethnographic study that theorizes the processes and mechanisms…
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▼ This dissertation is an ethnographic study that theorizes the processes and mechanisms through which HIV/AIDS meanings originate in the Ghanaian setting. Whereas AIDS media discourses exemplify dominant representations, I argue that there are other meanings co-constructed by various members of a society. To support this assertion, I provide a fresh focus for mapping how particular individuals in the society symbolically structure their own HIV/AIDS meanings. I do this by applying postcolonial theories and feminist methodologies. I examine how dominant HIV/AIDS communication messages are received within everyday contexts. I used HIV/AIDS communication materials developed and circulated in Ghana for the past nine years. I used 26 communication materials including posters, television, and radio commercials. These communication materials are a part of two-phase HIV/AIDS National Strategic Framework implemented in Ghana. I engaged different qualitative inquiry approaches such as interviewing, participant observation, direct observation, as well as document review. A total of 39 participants living in the city of Accra were involved in this study. I used this study to demonstrate that, in the Ghanaian postcolonial context, HIV/AIDS campaign messages interact with particular beliefs and past experiences to become ideas in everyday practices. I also conclude that disciplinary measures such as abstinence, faithfulness, and condom use, that individuals subject themselves to, are enabled by a web of discourses contained in HIV/AIDS media campaign messages. Also, considering unique colonial experiences and development practices that inform participants understanding of AIDS, I conclude that meaning-making is context specific. Therefore, it is important for HIV/AIDS communication practitioners to acknowledge specific struggles, experiences, and stories that alternative disease interpretations in a particular context suggest.
Advisors/Committee Members: Gajjala, Radhika.
Subjects: Communication
Keywords: HIV/AIDS; Media Campaign Mesasges; Ghana; Postcolonial Theory; Feminist Ethnography; Disease
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14.
Davis, Andrea M.
Dragging Identity: A Critical Ethnography of Nightclub Space(s).
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2008, Bowling Green State University
► This study investigated the production of space within a nightclub that has…
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▼ This study investigated the production of space within a nightclub that has weekly theme nights. Using critical ethnography and Butler's theory of performativity, the researcher studied the ways in which space was created on 80s, Drag, and Goth Nights. Through participant-observation and in-depth interviews with patrons and employees at the club, the researcher argued identity performances altered the social space of the club from night-to-night and suggested the space changed through the physical things in the space and the rules associated with that space. Performativity of space, like performativity of identity, occurred not though a single performance but through the constant and consistent repetition of performances over a period of time. Specifically, the history of the space (each night building on the night before for years and years) created a stability for the nightclub that remained regardless of the individuals within it. The specific theme nights, however, did not reap the benefits of that stability. Despite the site-specific (read theme-night specific) normative performances in the space, the social space was altered through individual performances in the space as well as rules associated with the club. Through identity performances and moments in the space happening over and over again across a period of time, the researcher discovered not only the performativity of space as relates to Club North, but also the applicability of performativity to other social spaces.
Advisors/Committee Members: Warren, John T.
Subjects: Communication; Gender
Keywords: nightclub; critical ethnography; performativity; gender; sexuality; drag
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15.
Fultz, Daniel D.
Style Matters: Worship Preferences of University Students Regarding the use of Music and Technology.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2010, Bowling Green State University
► As a response to increasingly low rates of participation among university aged…
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▼ As a response to increasingly low rates of participation among university aged students, Christian churches across the country are spending increasing amounts of money on music and technology with the assumption that such expenditures will attract that target demographic. Across denominational affiliations, it is a commonly held belief that such practices must be in place in order to attract and retain this demographic, but this belief has no empirical support. Therefore, this research project investigated the worship preferences of professing Christian students at Bluffton University paying particular attention to the utilization of music and technology. Those who have studied related issues have done so with clearly non-academic objectives, most with pre-existing religious affiliations and/or ties to funding from Christian-based organizations. The participants of this study were traditional-aged undergraduate students who were enrolled full-time at Bluffton University during spring semester, 2009. Bluffton University is affiliated with the Mennonite Church, USA, but represents many Christian denominations with the top three being: Evangelical, Catholic, and Mennonite. This research incorporated survey questionnaires based on the uses and gratifications perspective. The intent of the instrument was to measure three areas, as each relates to university student preferences toward the use of music and technology in Christian worship: relationship between technology use and current preferences; relationship between past worship experiences and current preferences; and, relationship between the on-campus religious activities of students and their current preferences. An instrument was developed based on the population being studied. The total sample was 123 participants, from ages 18-22, with a mean age of 20.00 (SD = 1.21). Of the participants, 43 were male (35.00%) and 80 were female (65.00%). This study produced two key findings directly related to the research questions. First, students more involved with on-campus religious activities have stronger preferences toward the use of technology and contemporary music in worship. Second, students who report a higher level of technology use in their daily lives have stronger preferences toward the utilization of technology in their worship services. Additional findings centered on differences between male and female students.
Advisors/Committee Members: Cassara-Jemai, Catherine.
Subjects: Communication
Keywords: worship preferences of university students; technology use in Christian worship; music use in Christian worship
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16.
Hampton-Farmer, Cheri.
Creation and Adaptation of Norms in a Tire-Mold Manufacturing Organization.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2007, Bowling Green State University
► This case study examined the ways in which organizational members created norms…
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▼ This case study examined the ways in which organizational members created norms that sustained the organizational culture in a tire-mold manufacturing organization, the effects of those norms, and members’ motivation to comply with them. Within the organization, co-cultures maintain identical values but employ different norms due to the nature of their work. Despite the standardized processes for designing and manufacturing tire-molds, norms that sustain the values of autonomy and creativity enable innovation that competition demands. This kind of study adds to organizational communication research about norms and can benefit organizational leaders, researchers, and consultants when assessing cultural values to determine strategies for change. The tire industry is competitive and requires change in products, procedures, and communication. Because the values and norms are imbedded in the culture, any such changes must address these strongholds. This case study can be used as a comparison to other organizations in a competitive environment. To conduct an assessment of the culture and its norms, the researcher audio taped face-to-face interviews with 30 members of a tire-mold manufacturing organization in a small Midwest town and observed organizational members over a period of three days. The tapes were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Grounded Theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967; Strauss and Corbin, 1998). Themes that emerged revealed the cultural values and the norms that sustain them. The strength of this case study lies in its ability to identify cultural elements attributed to the norms. However, the restricted time spent in the organization limited the amount of contact with organizational members who were administrators; thus, findings would be richer and more conclusive with additional time.
Advisors/Committee Members: Dixon, Lynda Dee.
Keywords: Norms; Organizational culture; Communication; Deviance; Autonomy
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17.
Harden, Renata.
Identities in Motion: An Autoethnography of an African American Woman's Journey to Burkina Faso, Benin, and Ghana.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2007, Bowling Green State University
► This study examines African American identity within the context of Burkina Faso,Benin,…
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▼ This study examines African American identity within the context of Burkina Faso,Benin, and Ghana. Because African American identity has largely been studied in terms of racial identity within the United States, traveling outside the United States creates a different experience for African Americans and as such, their identity is influenced by the ideological constructions and narratives produced within other countries and communities. Through the theoretical lenses of postcolonial theory, I use autoethnography to demonstrate my own experiences with identity transformation as experienced in Burkina Faso, Benin, and Ghana. The study suggests that African American identity is best understood as identities in motion, adapting and changing in different environments and within various contexts. The study also furthers the discussion on African American identity by refusing to limit it to essentialist categories. Rather, this study shows the transformative nature of African American identity and follows the understanding that African American identity is fluid, multifaceted, and heterogeneous.
Advisors/Committee Members: Warren, John.
Keywords: African American identity; Imagined community; Cultural memory; Autoethnography; Identity transformation
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18.
Hedrick, Jeffrey B.
A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF EDITORIAL REGIONALISM IN THE 1960s: MIDSIZE NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF NEW YORK TIMES V. SULLIVAN (1960-1964).
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2006, Bowling Green State University
► The journalistic issue addressed in this study is an ethical concern that…
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▼ The journalistic issue addressed in this study is an ethical concern that editors were not providing detailed and unbiased accounts of a matter of public interest, that they were “shaping” the news by selectively omitting news content undesirable to the newspaper itself or its audience. The historical focus is the landmark 1960s precedent that strengthened freedom of the press: New York Times v. Sullivan. The study’s purpose, to determine whether regionalism had any influence in the editorial handling of constitutional rights rulings such as the Sullivan case, was affirmed by correlations to differences in article frequency, placement, headline wording, source type, and use of wire service articles. The methodological approach relies on critical social theory to assess the content attributes of selected articles from four newsworthy Sullivan events collected from 29 Northern, 25 Southern and six national newspapers. The study reviews the legal aspects of the Sullivan case, while providing an overview of regional theory from political and sociological perspectives. A regional news model is proposed to rationalize the dynamics of the editorial decision-making process in midsize (25,000 to 100,000 circulation) daily newspapers, those that serve the majority of Americans, yet have been underrepresented in journalism studies. An analysis for regional differences between northern and southern midsize newspaper coverage of Sullivan, as well as between midsize and national newspapers, considers editorial handling as found in article frequency, origin (source) , focus, type, placement, and size. Article size was found to be an insignificant factor between midsize newspapers, while the nationals allotted more space to Sullivan coverage and offered more original editorials. The northern papers published more editorials than the southern, as well. The nationals used external sources such as wire news articles less often than midsizes. Regional differences between northern and southern newspapers in source handling of the same wire news story(s) were discovered, with article frequency and article placement found to be significant factors.
Advisors/Committee Members: Makay, John J.
Keywords: Times v. Sullivan; Regionalism; Critical Social Theory; Midsize Newspapers; Editorial Discretion; Press Libel; Newspaper Analysis; Southern Newspapers
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19.
Howard, Nikki D.
“I’m Not as Bad as I Seem to Be”: Understanding the Identities of Female Ex-Offenders.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2009, Bowling Green State University
► This study investigated the identities of women who have been in prison.…
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▼ This study investigated the identities of women who have been in prison. Prisonrates and the effects of incarceration are serious social problems in this country today. Women now represent the fastest growing prisoner population in the United States. Women who are currently incarcerated or who have experienced life in prison are a silenced population in our country. Once a woman has been given the label of prisoner, her stories, life, and experiences are no longer valuable in normative society: she is,essentially, invisible. This study focused on issues of identity and how women who have been incarcerated discussed their experiences and the ways those experiences impacted their lives. A theoretical framework based on symbolic interactionism (Blumer, 1969; Fisher and Strauss, 1978) and feminist standpoint (Harding, 1987; Harding, 2004) was used to investigate the lives of women who have lived behind bars. Eleven women living in one of two transitional programs in Ohio were the participants in this study. Semistructured, in-depth interviews and ethnography were the methods used to gain a deeper level of analysis regarding the experiences of the research participants. This study revealed that although incarceration may define who these women are to society, it does not define them personally. Prison affected their lives, but it did not define them. A disconnect between how this group of women perceives society’s view of them and how they view themselves was apparent. Negativity was the one theme revealed regarding how ex-offenders perceive society’s view of them. Themes associated with the identities of the ex-offenders participating in this study were: survivors, women of God, and women who felt unloved in their lives. Transitional programming was described as being an important element in regaining a productive life after incarceration. Support, employment programming, and consistent accountability for women ex-offenders were recommendations provided for transitional programs. The purpose of this study was not to generalize the identities and experiences of female offenders, but instead to understand better how these women express their own identities in a world that often places identifying labels on them.
Advisors/Committee Members: Rentner, Terry.
Subjects: Communication; Gender; Womens studies
Keywords: feminist standpoint theory; grounded theory; female prisoners; identity
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20.
Igboaka, Primus Chuks.
Internet Technology Use and Economic Development: A Case Study of the Rural Population of Ihiala Village in Southeastern Nigeria.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2010, Bowling Green State University
► There are mixed opinions about the role of Information communication Technology (ICT)…
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▼ There are mixed opinions about the role of Information communication Technology (ICT) in general and the Internet in particular in promoting development. While Internet has been viewed as contributing to the ever-changing information dissemination across urban and rural spaces, others argue that the Internet does not always bring drastic social and economic advances as scholars and pundits have made us to believe. However, in rural areas such as China where websites have been set up to market goods, attract investments and enlarge business scale (Zhao, 2008), it is the view that Internet has impacted lives and rural development. In Nigeria, despite its headquarters and leadership role in the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the African region’s headquarters of United Nation Millennium Goals (MDGs), an initiative that is geared to reduce poverty, improve health care and education, and ensure productivity in poor countries around the world, it remains to be seen how the Internet could be utilized for development and add into the equation in economic improvement of lives in the rural villages. The MDGs goals set 2015 as deadline. The basic purpose of this study is to explore demographic characteristics of the Internet users – individuals in a rural population such as Ihiala in South eastern Nigeria that could be the end-users of innovation technology. The study also examined the innovation attributes of the Internet that are likely to make the technology adoptable and facilitate economic development. And finally, it examined the different purposes for which they use the Internet that included financial and business activities. The study findings were analyzed using Rogers (1995, Davis(1994), Technology Adoption Model (TAM). A total of 270 respondents(out of 300 people sampled) completed the questionnaire, achieving a 90% response rate. The study found that there is no significant difference between the genders in their internet use. Internet users are likely to be well educated, but both the rich and poor use the Internet. An analysis of the activities and the users’ impetus shows that Internet is used primarily for activities related to economic development, especially conducting business and financial transactions, although many began with just communicating by e-mails with friends and family.
Advisors/Committee Members: Ha, Louisa.
Subjects: Business community; Communication; Mass media
Keywords: Internet Technology; Diffusion of Innovation; Rural Population; Economic Information Use; Development.
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21.
Kahil, Souhad.
A Rhetorical Examination and Critique of Hezbollah, the Party of God.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2006, Bowling Green State University
► Rhetorical examination and critique of Hezbollah – the Party of God is an…
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▼ Rhetorical examination and critique of Hezbollah – the Party of God is an analysis and interpretation, of Hezbollah as a social movement whose discourse is rooted in Arabic and Islamic discourse traditions. Hezbollah is a poorly understood movement. It is portrayed as a one-dimensional terrorist group. Hezbollah members are portrayed as plane hijackers, kidnappers and suicide bombers. But the Party of God has a rhetorical life – even the rhetorical construction of the martyr is worth examination from a culturalperspective. The following study examines how persuasive discourse constructs Hezbollah identity and purpose. Further, this study examines how the political and military elements in the context of Lebanese modernism are reflected in movement’s discourse.
Advisors/Committee Members: Gonzalez, Alberto.
Subjects: Speech Communication
Keywords: Hezbollah; Cultural Rhetoric; Social Movements; Middle East; Islamic Resistance
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22.
Kavathe, Rucha S.
Patterns of Access and Use of Online Health Information among Internet Users: A Case Study.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2009, Bowling Green State University
► Internet and Information Technology have contributed immensely to an ever-changing information structure,…
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▼ Internet and Information Technology have contributed immensely to an ever-changing information structure, especially in healthcare. Medical practitioners, healthcare professionals and health communication researchers alike find themselves in an evolving discourse of aware and empowered health consumers instead of patients. Increasingly, health is being looked upon as an individual responsibility, and health information is playing an important role for responsible health seekers. The basic purpose of this study was to explore factors that are related to or predictive of patterns of access and use of online health information among Internet users in Northeast Ohio. In addition, the study examined the relationship between behavior modifications and access to online health information, as well as sources of online health information and credibility of sources.Of the 521 respondents of this study, 441 were health seekers. The results of the study showed that ease of information seeking, feeling empowered, self-health management and support from the online community were powerful motivators for health seekers. The study showed a positive relationship between health-related behavior modifications and access to online health information. Results also showed that health seekers are more likely to choose sources of online health information that can generally be considered reliable. Additionally, the study showed a positive relationship between access to online health information and Internet self-efficacy of health seekers. The study showed that people are more likely to access online health information if they suffer from chronic disease or disability, if their loved ones suffer from chronic disease or disability and if they suffer from nagging health concerns. Access to online health information was explained by feelings of empowerment, support from the online community, cognitive involvement, and lower age. Use of online health information was explained by ease of information seeking, feelings of empowerment, support from the online community and the positive outcomes related to use of Internet for networking and learning. For health communicators and health professionals, findings confirm the emergence of an empowered consumer, and hence imply that in content and in format, health information will have to cater to an increasingly involved and aware audience. Health information from online sources is a significant component of people's self-health plan and results show a positive relationship between health-related behavior modifications and online health information. Health professionals and health consumers should work together to integrate online health information into a larger overall health plan.
Advisors/Committee Members: Melkote, Srinivas.
Subjects: Communication; Health
Keywords: online health information; access; use; Internet users
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23.
Koonce, Richard S.
THE SYMBOLIC RAPE OF REPRESENTATION: A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF BLACK MUSICAL EXPRESSION ON BILLBOARD'S HOT 100 CHARTS.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2006, Bowling Green State University
► The purpose of this study is to use rhetorical criticism as a…
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▼ The purpose of this study is to use rhetorical criticism as a means of examining how Blacks are depicted in the lyrics of popular songs, particularly hip-hop music. This study provides a rhetorical analysis of 40 popular songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles charts from 1999 to 2006. The songs were selected from the Billboard charts, which were accessible to me as a paid subscriber of Napster. The rhetorical analysis of these songs will be bolstered through the use of Black feminist/critical theories. This study will extend previous research regarding the rhetoric of song. It also will identify some of the shared themes in music produced by Blacks, particularly the genre commonly referred to as hip-hop music. This analysis builds upon the idea that the majority of hip-hop music produced and performed by Black recording artists reinforces racial stereotypes, and thus, hegemony. The study supports the concept of which bell hooks (1981) commonly refers to as white supremacist capitalist patriarchy, which she believes is the basis for what Hill Collins (2000) refers to as the hegemonic domain. The study provides a framework for analyzing the themes of popular songs across genres. The genres ultimately are viewed through the gaze of race and gender because Black male recording artists perform the majority of hip-hop songs. Gender is central to this issue because much of the lyrical content of songs performed by Blacks reveals misogynist themes and/or nihilistic topics. Many of the songs performed by primarily White artists who represent other popular genres, including rock, country and pop music, however, contain far fewer misogynistic or nihilistic themes. On the contrary, these songs contain more themes and topics considered life-redeeming and/or uplifting. Although hip-hop music can be viewed as a site of resistance, the current form of the genre dominating the charts is not likely to lead to the empowerment of the dispossessed.
Advisors/Committee Members: Makay, John J.
Subjects: Music; Mass Communications
Keywords: songs; hip-hop; recording artists; nihilistic; lyrics; music; artists
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24.
Lamb, Matthew D.
Tracing the Path of Power through the Fluidity of Freedom: The Art of Parkour in Challenging the Relationship of Architecture and the Body and Rethinking the Discursive Limits of the City.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2011, Bowling Green State University
► This study explores the production of urban architectural space and investigates how…
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▼ This study explores the production of urban architectural space and investigates how the art of parkour attempts to (re)appropriate the spaces of the city. It interrogates the reflexive and continuously (re)negotiated relationship of power and freedom, as defined by Foucault, in and through the corporeal link of the traceur body, the practitioners of parkour, and urban architecture. Parkour forefronts the relations of power through a corporeal connection with architecture. This connection functions to offer more emancipated alternatives both to and within the hegemonic discourses disciplining the space of the city. Traceurs exercise agency as the discourse of the city creates limitations through regulatory norms; however, these limitations create the conditions for action. As a technology and technique of power, architecture’s participation in (re)producing regulatory norms is seen in the ways in which it informs individuals’ interpretations of everyday practices. Architecture embodies particular ideologies which communicate to a body of urban inhabitants. This embodiment communicates as a reflection and reinscription of the social actor’s position within social relations. In being formed by power even as one reworks it, traceurs continuously challenge the reiterative chains of discourse by inscribing their own truth or counter discourse. Parkour functions ontologically as it is a performance, and functions epistemologically as a performance. This study demonstrates how parkour offers insight into the intersections of the body and architectural space to bring to the fore the emancipatory potentialities therein. To understand the emancipatory power of parkour, epistemology of doing as a critical ethnography is employed as the method for investigation. Epistemology of doing centers on a learning-by-doing approach positioning the researcher as participant in the production of knowledge and experience, in the case of this study, immersed in a community of traceurs during a parkour training seminar at B.A.S.E. Fitness in Noblesville, Indiana. The ethnographic experience allowed for empirical insight into parkour’s relationship in the discursive formation of power and freedom. The experience, and the broader study, reveals insights about the practice of parkour and draws attention to how a traceur’s personal journey elicits emancipatory potential in and through ostensibly freer movement within architectural space.
Advisors/Committee Members: Martin Lengel, Lara.
Subjects: Communication
Keywords: Architecture; Urban Space; the Body; Architecture and the Body; Parkour; Discourse; the City
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25.
Learman, Megan A.
Through a Different Lens: Student Perspectives on the Impact of Study Abroad.
Degree: MA, Communication Studies, 2008, Bowling Green State University
► While many studies exist on the effects or benefits of studying abroad,…
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▼ While many studies exist on the effects or benefits of studying abroad, few studies seek to examine study abroad from a student point-of-view. Based on previous studies of the outcomes of study abroad programs, this thesis examined the student perspective of the impact of participation in a study abroad program. The research drew on her participation in several different study abroad programs and experience as a study abroad advisor/coordinator in order to bring a unique and personal appreciation of the inner workings of various study abroad programs to the inquiry. This study used grounded theory to examine data collected from student questionnaires, focus group sessions, and personal interviews to gauge the experience of ten university students, 18 years and older, who participated in a study abroad/education abroad program of any length while enrolled as a student at a mid-sized midwestern university. The overarching query guiding this study sought to examine students' perspective on the impact of participation in a study abroad program. In order to unearth a response to that guiding theme, five specific research questions were posed: (1) What sort of impact does participation in a study abroad program have on its student participants? (2) How are students' perceptions of the impacts of study abroad similar or different to the effects found or predicted by other scholarly studies? (3) Why do individuals choose to study abroad? (4) Do students think they experienced culture shock? (5) If yes, how does culture shock influence a student's study abroad experience? Seven themes pertaining to students' perspective of their study abroad experiences emerged from the data collected from the group of students who participated in this study. These themes, in no particular order of significance, included topics relating to study abroad as goal fulfillment, culture shock and the study abroad experience, perceived influences of studying abroad, learning culture, returning home, the role of social support in study abroad, and student reflections on the study abroad experience. Information was drawn from each of the seven themes to answer the research questions, make further observations, and work toward building theory grounded in the data.
Advisors/Committee Members: Lengel, Lara Martin.
Subjects: Communication
Keywords: study abroad; culture; culture shock; international programs; social support; grounded theory; student perspectives; goal fulfillment; re-entry shock; reentry shock; reverse culture shock
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26.
Lee, Pei-Ling.
The Re-Construction of the Taiwanese Identity in the Process of Decolonization: The Taiwanese Political Songs Analyses.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2008, Bowling Green State University
► The purpose of this study is to discuss the identity-building, -changing, and…
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▼ The purpose of this study is to discuss the identity-building, -changing, and -reconstructing process during the postcolonial period in Taiwan. By applying the theoretical framework of postcolonialism and the perspective of critical rhetoric, the discussions and analyses in this study examine the opposing positions between the superstructure and subaltern, the relationship between hegemonic authorities and people's resistance in the transition process among different identities, and all types of factors that influence the changes of national identity in Taiwanese society after WWII. The rhetorical artifact in this study is Taiwanese political songs. As very powerful rhetorical tools, songs sung on political occasions are full of political meanings to present voices from both colonizer and colonized. Following historical trends, different types of political songs are selected to reveal different perspectives of political standpoints. By analyzing examples of Chinese patriotic songs under martial law, Taiwanese protest songs during the post-martial law period and early 1990s, and theme songs of large contemporary social movements, this study attempts to investigate the (re)construction of the Taiwanese identity in the process of decolonization.
Advisors/Committee Members: Makay, John J.
Subjects: Communication
Keywords: Taiwan; national identity; postcolonialism; political songs; textual analysis
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27.
LeFlore-Munoz, Candice J.
I've Got a Story to Tell: Critical Race Theory, Whiteness and Narrative Constructions of Racial and Ethnic Census Categories.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2010, Bowling Green State University
► This study examines the embedded nature of whiteness in the use of…
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▼ This study examines the embedded nature of whiteness in the use of racial and ethnic categories on U.S. census forms. Specifically, this study focuses on people’s perceptions of racial and ethnic categories, how those categories have been historically used on U.S. census forms, and the relationship between this discourse on racial and ethnic categories and elements of whiteness. Like (Nobles, 2000), in this study, I argue that the rhetorical construction of race and ethnicity on census forms is not a trivial matter since the way that we structure these words and categories significantly influences how we understand them. Thus, this study practices critical rhetoric (McKerrow, 1989) and employs the use of critical race theory (Delgado & Stefanic, 2001) to investigate the relationship between the 20 counter narratives and the larger master narrative about racial and ethnic categorization in this country. Throughout this dissertation, I use Omi and Winant’s (1994) racial formation and racial projects to highlight several themes that emerge in the master narrative and counter narratives. By focusing on these themes, this analysis explores past, present, and future racial projects that may emerge in relation to the use of racial and ethnic categories on census forms and elements of whiteness.
Advisors/Committee Members: Gajjala, Radhika.
Subjects: African Americans; American history; American studies; Communication; Hispanic Americans; Language; Law; Native Americans
Keywords: U.S. Census; critical rhetoric; critical race theory; whiteness; racial formation; race and ethnicity
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28.
Long, Bridget L.
Scripts for Online Dating: A Model and Theory of Online Romantic Relationship Initiation.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2010, Bowling Green State University
► This study examined online dating practices by exploring the process and scripts…
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▼ This study examined online dating practices by exploring the process and scripts for online dating from both sites and site members. The purpose was to uncover how online daters and sites were responsible for changes from more traditional dating scripts, and to add to Script Theory and Social Information Processing Theory. Ethnographic content analysis of online dating sites and in-depth interviews with online daters were conducted to develop a Model for Online Dating and Online Romantic Initiation Theory. The model presented in this study demonstrated how scripts in the online dating process were reciprocal and how the different levels of scripts worked together. This study also added to knowledge of contemporary courtship and decision-making in terms of love styles, shopping lists, elimination strategies and how singles relate to others.
Advisors/Committee Members: Faulkner, Sandra.
Subjects: Communication; Personal relationships; Social psychology
Keywords: online dating; romantic relationships; relational communication; computer-mediated communication; online romantic relationship initiation; Social Information Processing Theory; Script Theroy
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29.
Marshall, Lisa Marie.
“I’ll be There for You” if You are Just Like Me: An Analysis of Hegemonic Social Structures in “Friends”.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2007, Bowling Green State University
► The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze the dominant ideologies and…
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▼ The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze the dominant ideologies and hegemonic social constructs the television series “Friends” communicates in regard to friendship practices, gender roles, racial representations, and social class in order to suggest relationships between the series and social patterns in the broader culture. This dissertation describes the importance of studying television content and its relationship to media culture and social influence. The analysis included a quantitative content analysis of friendship maintenance, and a qualitative textual analysis of alternative families, gender, race, and class representations. The analysis found the characters displayed actions of selectivity, only accepting a small group of friends in their social circle based on friendship, gender, race, and social class distinctions as the six characters formed a culture that no one else was allowed to enter.
Advisors/Committee Members: Bradshaw, Katherine A.
Subjects: Mass Communications
Keywords: Television and Society; Friendship; Friends; Dominant Ideology; Hegemony; Alternative Families; Gender Roles; Racial Representations; Social Class Representations
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30.
McCann, Kim.
Communication Policy and Public Interests: Media Diversity in Public and Commercial Broadcast Television in the U.S.
Degree: PhD, Communication Studies, 2007, Bowling Green State University
► Promoting media diversity in a society is imperative for the social benefits…
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▼ Promoting media diversity in a society is imperative for the social benefits that allow citizens to make informed decisions through exposure to a broad range of viewpoints. In spite of its significance, two major hindrances to media diversity identified so far are conceptual disagreement, that renders divergent approaches to the diversity analysis, and market forces, in which media are centered on a profit seeking mechanism. Responding to these two major issues of media diversity, the study explored the policy effectiveness within the notion of the First Amendment conflict and assessed diversity in both the public and commercial broadcast television industries. This study proposed the integrated theory of diversity, which could identify multiindicators of the dimension of the diversity, such as source, content, and audience diversity; thus, it allowed assessment of the multi-levels within political and economic contexts. The application of the public sphere model helped establish public interest criteria and thus could provide more consistent policy goals in promoting media diversity. The structural conduct model allowed assessment of source diversity by identifying the relationship among the market structure of the broadcast television industry, product strategies, and diversity. The application of the public policy model and the program choice model allowed measurement of content diversity distinctively produced by both public and commercial broadcast television by identifying different programming The analyses of the study provided three major substantial findings: 1) Conceptual disagreement of media diversity and ineffectiveness of the policies on media diversity largely stemmed from the FCC’s inconsistency in establishing public interest criteria.strategies.This inconsistency hindered justification of any regulatory intervention to protect public interest and to effectively respond to market failure in terms of media diversity. 2) The diversity offered by public and commercial broadcast televisions was different in terms of programming strategies, types of programs produced, and both number of channels and diversity level offered. The critical variables influencing the diversity were a moral obligation to serve the public interest in public television and the economics of programming in commercial broadcast television. 3) The expressive function of media diversity, reflecting audience demand on media content, is problematic because it basically obeys a majoritarian rule that satisfies the immediate gratification of as many audiences as possible, and audience gratification in accessing ideas is rarely balanced, nor is it on the basis of rational demands.
Advisors/Committee Members: Makay, John J.
Subjects: Mass Communications
Keywords: Media diversity, audience selection, content diversity, source diversity, public interest, competition, concentration.
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