Music has consistently been documented as a manner to bring people together across cultures throughout the world. In this research, we propose that people use similar musical tastes as a strong sign of potential social connection. To investigate this notion, we draw on literature examining how music merges the public/private self, the link to personality, and group identity, as well as how it is linked to romantic relationships. Thus, music can be a tool when wanting to get to know someone else and/or forge a platonic relationship. To test this hypothesis, we designed an experiment comparing music relative to another commonality (sharing a sports team in common) to see which factor is stronger in triggering an online social connection. We argue that people believe they have more in common with someone who shares similar music taste compared to other commonalities. We discuss implications for marketers on music streaming platforms.

This thesis aimed to create a curriculum for college students to increase their health insurance literacy and to evaluate the impact of the curriculum on participants' confidence. The curriculum for college students consisted of pre-recorded presentation slides covering six health insurance topics, pre- and post-tests, and evaluation questions. Canvas was used to house the curriculum. At the time of evaluation, a total of 12 participants had completed all aspects of the curriculum. The curriculum was evaluated through questions provided at the end of each module. It was found that participants felt the curriculum to be clear and helpful. Moreover, participants reported an increase in confidence, decreased confusion, and were interested in learning more about health insurance such as enrollment. Both the creation of a curriculum and the impact on participants' confidence was successful. At a later point in time, an analysis of the pre- and post-tests will be assessed to determine if the curriculum was effective at increasing health insurance literacy.

Electronic dance music (EDM) is a broad genre of music that, after gaining popularity, quickly became stigmatized. This study aimed to examine stigma associations of electronic dance music with substance abuse, cult-like devotion, and the inauthenticity of EDM fans. Further, this study intended to examine the positive aspects of tolerance, inclusivity, and authenticity associated with the electronic dance community. An online survey composed of 12 questions was administered to 876 students. The survey data was then analyzed and compared to the information gathered through a literature review. The major findings suggest that, when compared to other genres, there is a level of accuracy to the association of electronic dance music events with substance abuse, but not cult-like devotion or inauthenticity. The findings also suggest that there is no less inclusivity nor authenticity experienced at electronic dance music events compared to other genres. Another major finding is that the negative associations of electronic dance music were shared more often by those who have never attended such events. However, the positive associations were shared more often by those who have attended such events. These findings suggest that experiencing an electronic dance music event for oneself is important to understand the true nature of such events, for they have been shown to engender positive social values such as tolerance, inclusivity, and authenticity.