PHD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Communication and Information

Despite China's notoriously top-level censorship in restricting its netizens accessing overseas media and websites, people in mainland China still use circumventing tools, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to bypass the Great Firewall (GFW) to access overseas news and stay connected in the overseas social networks. Due to the continuous of restriction of VPN usage in mainland China, using circumventing tools is a risky behavior. Even talking about bypassing is a social taboo. The purpose of the dissertation to better understand the specific group of netizens in mainland China who still choose to bypass despite these challenges. Thus, the dissertation contains two studies and applies two theoretical frameworks. The first study, which is exploratory and descriptive, looks at the association between personality traits on specific technology (VPNs) use intention to circumvent under measuring the Big Five Personality Traits. However, the results found no association between the Big Five Personality Traits and Chinese mainland netizens' intention of using a VPN tool to bypass the GFW. The second study, which is an experimental design, examines and aims to understand mainland Chinese netizens' news sharing intention after bypassing the GFW to access the overseas news at a different controversy level under the theories of willingness to self-censor and the spiral of silence. Here, results showed that predictors of people's sharing intention varied according to the differences of the communication environment. In the online public communication environment, the interaction between bypass results and news controversy level has a negative influence on one people's sharing intention. In the online interpersonal communication environment, both news controversy level and people's willingness to self-censor have a negative influence on their sharing intention. And in the offline communication environment, people do not care about either how controversial the news is or whe (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Michael Beam (Committee Chair); Tang Tang (Committee Member); David Silva (Committee Member); Qiang Guan (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.), Franklin University, 2024, Business Administration

This research study explores how employee resource groups (ERGs) impact individual employee voice behaviors. The study is grounded in the spiral of silence theoretical framework (Codington-Lacerte, 2020; Noelle-Neumann, 1974), with the concepts of psychological safety, social identity, social exchange, and self-efficacy explored as mediating factors. The study consists of a qualitative, single case study at an organization that recently established ERGs. Seventeen employees were interviewed, representing eleven of the organization's twelve ERGs. Results from the study support the application of the spiral of silence theoretical framework at the individual employee level. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes in the data, which demonstrate that ERGs impact individual voice behaviors through building relationships, creating cultural change, and empowering individuals.

Committee: Michelle Geiman (Committee Chair); Susan Campbell (Committee Member); David McCurry (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Administration; Business Education; Communication; Labor Relations; Management; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2022, Arts and Sciences: Communication

Polarization has been a growing problem in the United States, but in 2020 it reached a new high (Dimock & Wike, 2020). The tension— or better yet, hostility— between ideological lines was palpable as the country navigated controversy after controversy. How individuals navigate intense moments like this significantly depends on where they live and whether their political affiliation is the dominant group. Often many issues arise for those in the minority, as concepts of the spiral of silence and co-cultural communication theories illustrate. This study explores the challenges of those in the perceived political minority and offers nuance to our understanding of what it means to spiral into silence. Utilizing the phronetic iterative approach and the theoretical frameworks of spiral of silence and co-cultural theory, this study investigates how progressives in a staunchly conservative state communicate politics offline and online. The findings from this qualitative exploration reinforce notions of self-censorship, fear of isolation, and a quasi-statistical organ as ways to understand and adapt to their political landscape. However, findings also supported common SOS critiques that fear of isolation is not the only, nor most substantial, motivator for falling silent. Moreover, findings support the connection between Orbe's co-cultural theory and Noelle-Neumann's spiral of silence theory by addressing scholarly critiques regarding tactics and motivations beyond self-censoring and fear of isolation.

Committee: Eric Jenkins Ph.D. (Committee Member); Heather Zoller Ph.D. (Committee Member); Shaunak Sastry Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication

Bachelor of Science of Journalism (BSJ), Ohio University, 2022, Journalism

On January 6, 2021, while Congress was certifying the electoral college votes that would certify Joe Biden as the next president of the United States, sitting president, Donald Trump, held a rally. The presidential election, held during the height of the pandemic, was the topic of controversy as President Trump spread lies about voter fraud from mail-in ballots. Twitter was used throughout the election season as a way for President Trump and his supporters to spread misinformation regarding the legitimacy of the election, and later, Joe Biden's win. All of the rumors and lies culminated on the day of the certification, as angry Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, breaching the building and causing an evacuation of staff. Many people were injured, some died, and around 800 people were charged in connection with the riot. Additionally, President Trump and 70,000 other users were banned from Twitter for spreading misinformation. This thesis focuses on the aftermath of the event and the subsequent rally held on September 18, 2021 in support of the people who were criminally charged. Using a social media analysis of Twitter from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day, the aim was to analyze Twitter discourse around controversial events and compare First Amendment rights to escalation of events on social media. The findings suggest that Twitter is not a tool for escalation, rather people find like-minded groups on Twitter and tailor their content towards them, with no intention of interacting with opposing viewpoints. This creates an environment where users feel like they have the freedom to say whatever they want, no matter how aggressive or damaging, without consequence.

Committee: Aimee Edmondson (Advisor) Subjects: Journalism; Law; Mass Media; Multimedia Communications

PHD, Kent State University, 2021, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

This study had two overarching goals: (1) to develop scales with acceptable psychometric properties and (2) to contribute to the growing body of literature on the spiral of silence theory (SoST) in the context of Social Networking Sites (SNSs). These goals were addressed with findings from two manuscripts, both of which leveraged data from a survey distributed to faculty at a large, public university in the U.S. (N = 256). Goal 1 was addressed with results from Rasch Principal Components Analysis (PCA), Rasch Rating Scale Model (RSM), and indices of Internal Consistency Reliability: (1) Contextual Fear of Social Isolation (CFSI; α = .85 and α = .69), (2) Contextual Fear of Reprimand (CFEAR; α = .88), (3) Fear of Reprimand (FEAR; α = .96 and α = .81), and (4) Willingness to Express Opinions (WTEO; α = .91 and α = .94). Goal 2 was addressed with results from a series of Two-Group Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVAs) and Conditional Process Analyses. Using Noelle-Neumann's (1974; 1993) SoST as a foundation, a moderated mediation model was used to describe the relationship among opinion congruence, contextual fear of social isolation, issue involvement, and willingness to express opinions (Fear of Isolation-Consequences and -Perceptions Models). This study also addressed a criticism of the SoST by testing an alternative catalyst (Fear of Sanctions Model). The MANOVAs were significant, while the Index of Moderated Mediation was not for any models. Additional research with a topic that can elicit a wider range of reactions is needed.

Committee: Aryn C. Karpinski PhD (Committee Chair); Jason Schenker PhD (Committee Member); Anthony Vander Horst PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2020, Communication

In the media, partisans are often portrayed in constant conflict and detrimental to the democratic process in the United States. If this is the case, partisans may engage in techniques to disguise their partisan affiliation, especially online. This study examines partisan identity expression through social identity theory, impression management, and willingness to self-censor. Utilizing two different samples, participants answer survey questions, read an article, then create an online profile for an imaginary discussion site. Results demonstrate that even if partisans are portrayed negatively, they will continue to identify with their party on their discussion site profile, counter to the hypotheses presented.

Committee: Robert Bond PhD (Advisor); William Eveland PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2017, Journalism (Communication)

Using the theoretical perspectives of Spiral of Silence and Securitization, this dissertation examines (1) how censorship practices such as content removal were employed by the United States and the Indian governments to securitize the internet and social media, and (2) whether such practices contribute to an online spiral of silence. To explore these aspects, this study used a mixed-method approach with in-depth interviews and surveys. Seven interviews with authors of Transparency Reports and legal experts provided information about the U.S. and Indian government-initiated content removal process from Google Web Search, Blogger, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter between 2010 and 2015. Surveys with 587 respondents from the United States and India explored self-censorship on Facebook and Twitter, on issues related to national security and government criticism. The findings indicate that in the United States, “defamation” is the frequently cited yet an often-misused reason for content removal, while in India “religious offense” and “defamation” are prominent reasons for content takedowns. On several occasions, protected speech was removed from the internet and social media in both countries. Such acts of state-level censorship, in turn impacts self-censoring on controversial issues by individuals on social media. The implications here are that using the law to criminalize dissent increases self-censorship and this is counter-productive to democratic discourse.

Committee: Yusuf Kalyango Jr., Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Aimee Edmondson Ph.D. (Committee Member); Eve Ng Ph.D. (Committee Member); Nukhet Sandal Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Information Technology; International Law; Journalism; Legal Studies; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Technology

Master of Applied Communication Theory and Methodology, Cleveland State University, 2012, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

Emerging technologies and the ever-changing climate of the Internet has helped social networking sites to foster relationships between sports fans and professional sports teams. This study focused on identification a Cleveland Browns fan feels with the team as a predicting factor of emotions, actions, self and group identity, and pronominal usage. An online survey was given to Cleveland Browns fans to determine their level of fandom, Cleveland Browns knowledge, overall media habits, feelings toward the city of Cleveland, personality traits, and demographic information. A content analysis was conducted to determine the pronominal usage, used to indicate a specific distance from the team based on its successes or failures, and whether the fan was more likely to distance themselves when speaking of the team's future. The survey found that Cleveland Browns fans were proud of the city of Cleveland based on its sports teams, will wear apparel regardless of a win or loss, and bigger fans with more knowledge and time spent on the Internet were more likely to speak out when in the minority opinion in response to topics related to the team. The content analysis found that bigger Cleveland Browns fans were more likely to use pronouns when speaking about the team, expressed positive feelings towards the future of the team, and reported negative feelings toward Art Modell, former owner of the team.

Committee: George Ray PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Kimberly Neuendorf PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Anup Kumar PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2011, Antioch New England: Environmental Studies

The purpose of this research is to seek narratives of self-censorship from in-depth interviews of 19 participants acquired through a purposive (criterion) sampling protocol. The primary research question driving this study is “What types of sanctions contribute to people choosing to self-censor their strongly held beliefs, values, and opinions.” Previous research conducted on the topic of self-censorship (generally under the rubric of the spiral of silence theory) has been predominantly quantitative and consideration of sanctions influencing self-censorship have been limited to fear of social isolation. I suggest that ostensibly important sanction variables have not been utilized within these existing frameworks. I anticipated that this research, by utilizing a qualitative framework, would reveal other sanctions that operate in the self-censorship decision calculus. I also expected that interviews would portray a broader, more complete picture of how self-censorship operates and the variables that contribute to the construct. Research expectations were partially met as new variables in regard to specific fears of sanctioning were identified. These variables should contribute to self-censorship theory and more specifically, the frequently researched “spiral of silence” theory of mass communication and could be tested in quantitative research to verify their validity. Future research in this vein might consider testing additional sanction variables as part of a quantitative study, continue to refine the definition of self-censorship, develop better strategies to locate and secure additional informants, and continue to utilize qualitative methods to probe further into self-censorship questions.

Committee: Thomas Webler Ph.D. (Committee Chair); K. Heidi Watts Ph.D. (Committee Member); Robert Krueger Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Environmental Studies; Land Use Planning; Mass Communications; Psychology; Social Psychology; Sociology; Urban Planning