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Description
The emergence of social media in concert with improved camera and cell phone technologies has helped usher in an age of unprecedented visual communication which has radically changed the tourism industry worldwide. Serving as an important pillar of tourism and leisure studies, the concept of the tourist gaze has been left relatively unexamined within the context of this new visual world and more specifically image based social media. This phenomenological inquiry sought to explore how image based social media impacts the concept of the tourist gaze and furthermore to discover how the democratization of the gaze in concert with specific features of image based social media applications impacts the hermeneutic circle of the tourist gaze. This in-depth analysis of the user experience within the context of travel consisted of 19 semi-structured photo elicitation interviews and incorporated 57 participant generated photos. Six salient themes emerged from the study of this phenomenon; 1) sphere of influence, 2) exchange of information, 3) connections manifested, 4) impression management and content curation, 5) replicated travel photography, and 6) expectations. Analysis of these themes in conjunction with examples from the lived user experience demonstrate that the tourist gaze is being accelerated and expanded by image based social media in a rapid manner. Furthermore, democratization of the gaze as enabled by technological developments and specialized social media platforms is actively shifting the power role away from a small number of mass media influencers towards a larger number of branded individuals and social media influencers. Results of this inquiry support the theoretical assertions that the tourist gaze adapts to social and technological developments and demonstrates that the concept of the tourist gaze is increasingly important within tourism studies. Practical implications regarding the prevalence of real-time information, site visitation, and “taking only pictures” as sustainable touristic behavior are discussed.
ContributorsCampbell, Brenda Jean (Author) / Nyaupane, Gyan (Thesis advisor) / Lee, Woojin (Committee member) / Stone, Lesego (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Few studies have examined the correlations between individual characteristics and other popular forms of social media other than Facebook. This study explored the ways emerging adults use Instagram and Snapchat and examined the relationships between social media and individual characteristics. A sample of 393 participants were recruited from a large university in the Southwestern United States. The participants completed an online questionnaire that included a newly developed social media measure along with established measures that examined the individual characteristics of social comparison orientation, self-esteem, loneliness, contingent self-worth, narcissism, and life satisfaction. In the present study, more participants reported having an active Instagram account than an active Facebook or Snapchat account. Additionally, a higher number of participants also reported preferring Instagram and Snapchat compared to Facebook. Significant correlations were found between various individual characteristics and three aspects of social media use: overall time spent on social media, whether the individual felt that their time spent on social media was meaningful, and how the individual felt emotionally after comparing themselves to others' photos and posts. Potential explanations and implications of the results are discussed.
ContributorsArndorfer, Sydney (Author) / Field, Ryan (Thesis director) / Sechler, Casey (Committee member) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This thesis explores how we can harness new technology to improve our relationship with companion animals and promote shelter animal welfare. The study looked into using the photo-sharing application Instagram to increase adoption rates at the Arizona Animal Welfare League & SPCA. An Instagram page was created and managed for the shelter, and data was collected regarding the impact the page had on adoption rates. The results were mixed, but overall it was determined that the Instagram page has unique value for the shelter.
ContributorsBautista-Hobin, Elena Maria (Author) / Minteer, Ben (Thesis director) / Ellison, Karin (Committee member) / Morefield, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
The purpose of this thesis is to analyze how colleges and universities throughout the United States market its study abroad programs to students. The author reflects not only on this central question but also explores the evolving digital age in which we are consumed and how it has changed the marketing environment entirely.
The following research questions spurred the curiosity for this knowledge. These questions are:
1. How does Arizona State University market its study abroad programs?
a) How does ASU most effectively market its study abroad programs to students—what marketing tools are needed and used?
2. How do other college and universities throughout the United States market its study abroad programs?
b) How do they best market its study abroad programs to students—what marketing tools are needed and used?
3. How has this new digital age shaped the marketing environment today?
4. How do you develop relevant marketing strategies for a specific study abroad program in order to increase participation?
Before answering the preceding questions, this thesis first examines the origin of international education and its history.
Additionally, the author of this thesis created a series of questions that was sent via SurveyMonkey.com to various college and university study abroad offices, directors, advisors and marketing specialists throughout the U.S (a total of 18 schools from various parts of the region responded to the 37 question survey). This in turn allowed the author to answer a large portion of the above research questions. See attached documents (Appendix A) for a list of all the questions asked via survey, as well as each school’s response.
After a thorough analysis of the above research questions, the author focuses on the development of marketing strategies to help promote a specific faculty-led study abroad program at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (the official name for that program: “Cronkite Euro: Social Media Across Cultures: The European Perspective”). It is the analysis of the above research questions that in turn helped the author create marketing strategies that were tailored to this specific faculty-led study abroad program.
These marketing activities included the expansion of Cronkite Euro’s social media presence, specifically by creating an Instagram account for the study abroad program (@asucronkiteuro). Another major marketing activity included the expansion of Cronkite Euro’s online presence. The author of this essay completely revamped the study abroad program’s website so as to adequately keep up with the tech-savvy, digital natives of today (www.asucronkiteuro.com). The importance of implementing these specific marketing strategies will be later discussed in part IV of the thesis.
The following research questions spurred the curiosity for this knowledge. These questions are:
1. How does Arizona State University market its study abroad programs?
a) How does ASU most effectively market its study abroad programs to students—what marketing tools are needed and used?
2. How do other college and universities throughout the United States market its study abroad programs?
b) How do they best market its study abroad programs to students—what marketing tools are needed and used?
3. How has this new digital age shaped the marketing environment today?
4. How do you develop relevant marketing strategies for a specific study abroad program in order to increase participation?
Before answering the preceding questions, this thesis first examines the origin of international education and its history.
Additionally, the author of this thesis created a series of questions that was sent via SurveyMonkey.com to various college and university study abroad offices, directors, advisors and marketing specialists throughout the U.S (a total of 18 schools from various parts of the region responded to the 37 question survey). This in turn allowed the author to answer a large portion of the above research questions. See attached documents (Appendix A) for a list of all the questions asked via survey, as well as each school’s response.
After a thorough analysis of the above research questions, the author focuses on the development of marketing strategies to help promote a specific faculty-led study abroad program at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (the official name for that program: “Cronkite Euro: Social Media Across Cultures: The European Perspective”). It is the analysis of the above research questions that in turn helped the author create marketing strategies that were tailored to this specific faculty-led study abroad program.
These marketing activities included the expansion of Cronkite Euro’s social media presence, specifically by creating an Instagram account for the study abroad program (@asucronkiteuro). Another major marketing activity included the expansion of Cronkite Euro’s online presence. The author of this essay completely revamped the study abroad program’s website so as to adequately keep up with the tech-savvy, digital natives of today (www.asucronkiteuro.com). The importance of implementing these specific marketing strategies will be later discussed in part IV of the thesis.
ContributorsSalari, Alexa Marie (Author) / Silcock, Bill (Thesis director) / Scott, Tracy (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
In the late 2000s and 2010s, digital art and the use of the internet as a new platform for art to be displayed became increasingly common. A new art scene began developing among South Asian diasporic artists, driven primarily by adolescents and young adult women who have never attended art school. Their primary medium is digital tools, their primary display platform is the internet, and they adhere to a DIY ("do-it-yourself") ethic rather than traditional art techniques and norms. As these internet artists have forgone the traditional gallery art scene in favor of more accessible internet platforms, these artists have not received attention from the mainstream art world. However, the popularity of these internet artists is undeniable as many of them have tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of followers on their social media accounts. This new art scene has gained notice with the advent of social media platforms such as Tumblr and Instagram and websites focused on youth culture and counterculture, such as Vice, Buzzfeed, Dazed, and independent digital zine publications. The content of the work of these artists is often political, promoting feminist ideals, challenging South Asian and European beauty standards and limiting stereotypes of South Asian women, and creating groundbreaking new representations of South Asian women. Influences from both South Asian and Western pop culture and counterculture are prominent in their as well. This thesis explores the origins of this art scene and its roots in South Asian modernism and conventional South Asian diasporic artists.
ContributorsKhan, Nevine (Author) / Bhattacharjya, Nilanjana (Thesis director) / Mack, Robert (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
A research study comparing social media strategies in the National Hockey League from a large market team and a small market team.
ContributorsSolomon, Alex Marie (Author) / Dybvig-Pawelko, Kristin (Thesis director) / Zanin, Alaina (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Public Affairs (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
The promulgation of the thin-ideal is associated with bulimia, dieting, supplement use, negative affect, and body dissatisfaction. “Fitspiration” was created as an “antidote” to the thin-ideal through the promotion of healthy eating and exercise; however, research indicates Fitspiration continues to promote the thin-ideal with similarly detrimental outcomes. Recently, research has shifted from a focus on body disturbance to concepts of positive body image (Halliwell, 2015), often researched through the concept of body appreciation. While the research is limited, a few studies have shown increases in body appreciation and mood after viewing body positive images. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to experimentally examine the impact of exposure to body positive and Fitspiration Instagram images on the body satisfaction, body appreciation, and mood of undergraduate women. Participants were 98 female undergraduate students (18-29 years old) currently attending Arizona State University. Participants were randomly assigned to view Fitspiration, Body Positive, or appearance neutral Instagram images. Dependent variables of state body appreciation, state body dissatisfaction, and state mood were measured using Visual Analogue Scales. Trait thin-ideal internalization, trait social comparison, and body mass index (BMI) were included as covariates. Qualitative short-answer questions were included as an exploratory aim. A one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to examine group differences in post-test scores followed by post-hoc analyses using the Bonferroni correction when significant. After controlling for baseline score, trait thin-ideal internalization, trait social comparison, and BMI, post-test body appreciation scores within Fitspiration condition were significantly lower than the control (MD= 9.818, SE=3.743, p=.031) and Body Positive condition (MD=9.372, SE=3.492, p=0.26). After controlling for baseline score, trait thin-ideal internalization, trait social comparison, and BMI, the Body Positive condition demonstrated significantly higher post-test body satisfaction scores than the control (MD= 11.134, SE=3.093, p=.002) and Fitspiration condition (MD=17.312, SE=3.092, p=<.001). After controlling for baseline scores, mean post-test positive mood scores within the Fitspiration group were significantly lower than the Body Positive condition (MD=-0.378, SE=.135, p=.019). There were no differences in post-test negative mood across conditions. Findings suggest short-term exposure to body positive images may improve body appreciation, Body Positivity, and positive mood among undergraduate females.
ContributorsSerlin, Danielle Nicole (Author) / Der Ananian, Cheryl (Thesis advisor) / Chisum, Jack (Committee member) / Sebren, Ann (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
The goal of Dough is to create financial content that educates college students and young adults in areas of financial literacy. College students and young adults generally have debt from student loans, and typically don’t have much time to work as they focus on school and earn their degree. Financial literacy can make the lives of young adults much easier, however this is typically not a resource that is easily available to them. Our proposed solution to fight the lack of financial literacy is to create educational content including videos, articles, and a website that educates students and young adults on how to acquire good financial habits.
ContributorsMitchell, Zachary (Author) / Gibson, Cole (Co-author) / Clausen, Taylor (Co-author) / Rodríguez, Natalia (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Satpathy, Asish (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
The goal of this research study is to examine the nature and effects of social media marketing and the role it has played towards driving Gen Z into the luxury fashion industry. In addition, qualitative exploration focused on uncovering the reason behind why this market chooses to purchase luxury products and investigated the relationship between social media influencers, luxury brands, and their consumers.
Through 12 qualitative research interviews, five key insights were suggested from the results of the study: people buy luxury to fit in or stand out in social groups, social media marketing portrays a false reality, social media has contributed to the rise of Gen Z consumers in luxury fashion, social media has normalized owning luxury products, and social media has caused lowered self esteem and social pressure amongst Gen Z. These insights can be explained through a triangular framework, making up a marketing ecosystem involving the brand, the social media influencer, and the consumer. These three roles work together to buy and sell goods from one another. If one of the players fails to do their role, the relationships fall apart.
Given phones and apps are highly personal items often only used by one individual, understanding and comparing the ads and images one user is exposed to versus another can be very tricky. Recently, the Federal Trade Commission has increased regulations over native advertisements when viewers became unable to decipher ad from reality. Gen Z’s may inadvertently compare themselves to influencers, ultimately causing lowered self esteem when they cannot possess or achieve the lifestyle of these individuals. These insights are important to help understand how to negate the negative effects of social media marketing and propel companies to be more transparent in their marketing initiatives to reduce social pressure and poor mental health amongst Gen Z. Luxury brands could utilize more explicit differentiators on paid advertisements compared to editorial material to make audiences more knowledgeable of the type of content they are viewing. In addition, society should change the way people perceive online content and have more open discussions surrounding the ethics of native advertising and decipection social media posts may cause. The way young users interact and process social media posts is very complex. Investigating this topic is important to prevent the possible underlying repercussions of social media and help marketers best cater toward this market in an open, ethical fashion.
This study concludes with managerial applications and directions for further research. Businesses should prepare to face increasing guidelines regarding native advertising. These guidelines may include requirements to have explicit markings on branded content and binding contracts with social media influencers. To work around these restrictions, the future of luxury fashion indicates that direct to consumer strategies are on the rise. Video livestream retail and social commerce are already taking the Chinese market by storm and it's only a matter of time before American brands will be forced to adapt to keep up with changing trends in the marketplace. DTC brands benefit from having a direct channel to the consumer without interpretation or the need for intermediaries. Given this research primarily focuses on the links between the brand to influencer and influencer to consumer, future exploration could focus on the channel between the brand and consumer through direct selling. Going forward, brands may prefer to interact with their customers directly, without the use of an influencer, to help establish a close relationship with their audience through a seamless customer journey.
ContributorsElton, Eila (Author) / Ostrom, Amy (Thesis director) / Gray, Nancy (Committee member) / Bush, Leslie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / The Design School (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
The Southern Baptist Convention’s missional branch, North American Mission Board, and their church planting subsidiary, Send Network, failed to provide online communication guidance to help establish (or plant) new faith communities. Only 13% of Evangelical Protestants are under the age of thirty (Pew Research Center, 2015). If the Southern Baptist Convention wants their church plants to grow in a media-focused society, they must learn how to communicate with the generations who were born with technology in their hands. The purpose of this study is to identify which content and frequency Southern Baptist Churches in Metropolitan Phoenix should use to reach their target community.
The project began by conducting research on twelve Send Network church plants within fifteen miles of the center of downtown Phoenix. The results led to drafting a communications and branding guideline for one of the Send Network’s church plants, Mercy Hill Church, creating a ten-week posting schedule to collect insights on content and frequency of posts, analyzing and identifying best practices for its social media strategy and tactics.
The ideal posting schedule and ratio of still image and video content for Mercy Hill Church on Instagram and Facebook was revealed. Additionally, it was identified the best day of the week to publish each type of post out of these seven: community, Scripture, worship, testimony, ministry highlight, sermon recap and church invite.
Overall, the project determined that a consistent and cohesive Instagram and Facebook posting schedule increased traditional college-aged student engagement with Mercy Hill Church. It also resulted in an ideal posting schedule for Southern Baptist church plants if their target audience includes traditional college-aged students.
ContributorsDellaripa, Amelia (Author) / Matera, Frances (Thesis director) / Hass, Mark (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor)
Created2023-12