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- All Subjects: Social Media
- Creators: School of International Letters and Cultures
- Creators: School of Life Sciences
- Creators: School of Politics and Global Studies
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
- Status: Published
The Charlie Hebdo attacks fueled an online debate over freedom of expression and religion, whereas the purpose of social media evolved into a humanitarian one following the November 13 attacks in Paris. This research looks into the individual evolutions of the related hashtags that surfaced in 2015, including #JeSuisCharlie (and its opposites, such as #JeNeSuisPasCharlie), #DonDuSang, #PorteOuverte and #RechercheParis, among others. Another research point was with the September 11 attacks—with the 9/11 attacks against the United States, few to no channels were available for the kind of immediate discussions and support seen after the Paris attacks. After spending time in Paris during the spring 2015 semester and researching the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks and the history of the publication, the conclusion rests on the idea that the online discussions perpetuated by both supporters and dissenters of the magazine contribute to a more robust, open democracy supported by these social media platforms.
A portion of this thesis also delves into the parallels and differences between the American First Amendment and the French free speech laws—all of which pertain to the Charlie Hebdo content and the online responses to the 2015 Paris attacks.
The interviews conducted include a French art history professor at the Sorbonne University in Paris, two creators of the “Je Suis Charlie” Facebook page, an American journalist living in Paris who covered the Charlie Hebdo attack and who was present during the November attacks, and a Muslim-American doctor in Phoenix who founded the American Islamic Forum for Democracy. The ideas surrounding free speech, the value of art such as that found within the pages of Charlie Hebdo, the media’s treatment of religion, traditional democratic freedoms and ties to social media revolutions are all components of this research thesis.
This thesis project utilizes a multi-frame analysis from Bolman and Deal’s Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice and Leadership to reinvent a fundraising opportunity for a nonprofit organization named Save the Cats Arizona. This thesis begins with what makes Save the Cats Arizona stand out from other organizations. From there, a breakdown of the organization’s structure is provided. Next, research is provided on the impacts of fundraising on social media platforms and online engagement across nonprofit organizations. Additional research is provided to highlight the importance of social media management in nonprofit organizations. Save the Cats Arizona is then analyzed through Bolman and Deal’s multi-frame theory – which includes the structural, human-resource, political, and symbolic frame. Finally, the knowledge gained from the multi-frame analysis is implemented into ideas on how to improve fundraising opportunities for Save the Cats Arizona. This project ends with a reflection about this thesis and Save the Cats Arizona’s future.
To conduct research, we developed a survey that was distributed and taken by students at Arizona State University. The goal of surveying college students was to understand how young people who regularly use social media are persuaded by micro-influencers. To gain more insight, we interviewed three local micro-influencers that we discovered through Instagram and research. The goal of these interviews was to discover tactics that micro-influencers use when posting to market sponsored products. Additionally, we hoped to uncover a pattern that micro-influencers use when building their social media following. Ultimately, we developed a six-step guide from our research that aspiring micro-influencers can follow to strategize their rise as a social media micro-influencer. We also discuss the social media app TikTok, which we believe will be heavily used by influencers and micro-influencers in the future.
Based on research analyzed on the barriers between students and campus resources, the optimization of student outreach, and marketing strategies directed towards students, the creation of a student-led campus health resource followed. Analysis of this research showcased that the medium in which students resources were promoted, and the framework of the resource have an impact on students' awareness of the resource, attractiveness of the student resource, and student resource engagement. Based on these analyses and results, the creation of HealthU occurred to provide a visible, engaging, and attractive student resource to the Arizona State University student body.