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- All Subjects: Social Media
- Creators: Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm
- Member of: Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
In an effort to address these trends, we founded a student organization, The Political Literates, to fight political apathy by delivering political news in an easy to understand and unbiased manner. Inspired by our experience with this organization, we combine our insights with research to paint a new perspective on the state of the American political system.
This thesis analyzes various issues identified through our observations and research, with a heavy emphasis on using examples from the 2016 election. Our focus is how new technologies like data analytics, the Internet, smartphones, and social media are changing politics by driving political and social transformation. We identify and analyze five core issues that have been amplified by new technology, hindering the effectiveness of elections and further increasing political polarization:
● Gerrymandering which skews partisan debate by forcing politicians to pander to ideologically skewed districts.
● Consolidation of media companies which affects the diversity of how news is shared.
● Repeal of the Fairness Doctrine which allowed media to become more partisan.
● The Citizens United Ruling which skews power away from average voters in elections.
● A Failing Education System which does not prepare Americans to be civically engaged and to avoid being swayed by biased or untrue media.
Based on our experiment with the Political Literates and our research, we call for improving how critical thinking and civics is taught in the American education system. Critical thought and civics must be developed pervasively. With this, more people would be able to form more sophisticated views by listening to others to learn rather than win, listening less to irrelevant information, and forming a culture with more engagement in politics. Through this re-enlightenment, many of America’s other problems may evaporate or become more actionable.
Americans today face an age of information overload. With the evolution of Media 3.0, the internet, and the rise of Media 3.5—i.e., social media—relatively new communication technologies present pressing challenges for the First Amendment in American society. Twentieth century law defined freedom of expression, but in an information-limited world. By contrast, the twenty-first century is seeing the emergence of a world that is overloaded with information, largely shaped by an “unintentional press”—social media. Americans today rely on just a small concentration of private technology powerhouses exercising both economic and social influence over American society. This raises questions about censorship, access, and misinformation. While the First Amendment protects speech from government censorship only, First Amendment ideology is largely ingrained across American culture, including on social media. Technological advances arguably have made entry into the marketplace of ideas—a fundamental First Amendment doctrine—more accessible, but also more problematic for the average American, increasing his/her potential exposure to misinformation. <br/><br/>This thesis uses political and judicial frameworks to evaluate modern misinformation trends, social media platforms and current misinformation efforts, against the background of two misinformation accelerants in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and U.S. presidential election. Throughout history, times of hardship and intense fear have contributed to the shaping of First Amendment jurisprudence. Thus, this thesis looks at how fear can intensify the spread of misinformation and influence free speech values. Extensive research was conducted to provide the historical context behind relevant modern literature. This thesis then concludes with three solutions to misinformation that are supported by critical American free speech theory.
As social media and technology continue to impact the way students communicate and receive information, it is encouraged that university student-run organizations utilize social media platforms as a tool to further the development of their organizations. Social media platforms allow student organizations to network, promote awareness of their organizations, current campus events, and provide the opportunity to develop strong associations and interactions among students. Overall, student-run organizations currently utilize a wide variety of social media; however, frequently it is used without a clear understanding of its role and best practices, which could lead to a loss of effectiveness in their communication with students. Therefore, these factors suggest the need for university student-run organizations to recognize and understand the opportunities that effective social media strategies can bring as a communication tool to enhance student engagement.
Social media today is a major source of not only communication, but also news and entertainment. This year, people everywhere have had to embrace virtual environments as their main sources of communication. For students, especially, the move to virtual schoolwork in 2020 has increased the amount of time spent on technology. This observational study examined, through an anonymous online survey, how college students spend their time on social media and how it affects their mental health. The 25-question survey was open to current ASU students as of 2021, and 2020 ASU graduates. Respondents’ results concluded that while students actively use social media for communication and entertainment, it can present a burden on their mental health and their productivity.
A reflection on my diverse educational experience as a sports journalism student, key lessons I learned about specific forms of communication and content creation within social media, written reporting and radio/podcasting and the demand for versatility among all modern journalists.
Shifting Horizons in Entrepreneurship, better known as SHE is a multimedia reporting project that explores the experiences and narratives of Arizona-based female business owners. This collaborative project uses multimedia reporting techniques such as writing, photography, social media and a podcast to showcase how women are making a space for themselves in entrepreneurship.
A research study comparing social media strategies in the National Hockey League from a large market team and a small market team.
Many social media platforms have changed the way audiences consume news and how journalists operate, and since the implementation of TikTok, more users are hooked than ever before. According to Forbes.com, TikTok was the number one app downloaded globally in 2022, with 672 million downloads. Here in the United States, 99 million people downloaded the app last year (Koetsier, 2023). With TikTok’s popular presence, it revolutionizes the relationship between the audience and journalists to allow them to connect with a younger demographic. TikTok’s societal relevance has not only been elevating, but elevated like never before due to the high engagement and viewership from people across the country. With the slow decline of viewership in local TV news, connecting with viewers is more important than ever. TikTok plays a massive role in delivering the news, especially to viewers who do not have time nor inclination to watch the 6 p.m. news. Journalists can deliver news on TikTok – usually in one minute or less – that is always available to the viewer. TikTok is important to increase content and audience engagement by providing viewers who are already on the platform with fast and constant access to news. While digital areas on news websites exist, adding coverage TikTok provides the viewer with a quick on the go experience while already on the app.
This thesis explores conservation of threatened and endangered species in the Phoenix metro area using social media. With increased urbanization, rising temperatures, and other issues occurring in the desert landscape, creatures big and small face devastating losses in their populations. Informing the public about the species currently on the brink of extinction allows people to identify the animals in the wild, and may encourage conservation practices that would allow wildlife to thrive far into the future. Utilizing social media as a tool for spreading awareness permits information about Arizona wildlife to be free and easily accessible. This project consists of interviews with conservationists and social media influencers, a survey to understand online behaviors and identify level of interest in the different species, and the creation of consumable social media infographics about the threatened and endangered species of Phoenix. Instagram was selected by survey respondents as the platform they would follow conservation accounts on, leading to the creation of @phxconservation to post the social media infographics. Best practices found by posting on social media in this project can be useful information for conservationists looking to build engagement and effectively inform people.
This project includes a marketing plan for a local small business, Island Mochi. It examines the business and best practices in the industry to inform the marketing plan. The purpose of the marketing plan is to grow Island Mochi's sales by using digital marketing and public relations strategies. The components of the marketing plan include an executive summary, environmental analysis, SWOT analysis, customer personas, PR and marketing objectives, strategies and tactics, and an outline of the implementation and evaluation procedures.