Matching Items (278)
Description
This essay serves as a study of the pre-internet analogues to the modern internet meme, as well as the origins and cultural transmission thereof. I would like to take a deeper look into the history of this kind of cultural phenomenon and how these “proto-memes” arose, spread, and translated between cultures before the internet facilitated all of these functions. This would then be contrasted to how this occurs currently. There are many studies that examine the cultural impact and workings of internet memes, but markedly fewer that take a look at what came before them and how this aspect of culture evolved. It is reasonable, and accurate, to determine that the internet has been a monumental factor in the meteoric rise of memetic culture, but every culture must have had their own equivalent humor in the form of inside jokes and shared humorous stories. These can and have taken several different forms, such as critique of Napoleon’s height, political cartoons, and even graffiti. I will be taking a look at cultural movements and trends in several pre-internet cultures, including Ancient Greece, Britain, and 20th century America. I will then be examining the origin, spread, and cross-cultural impact that these trends had in comparison to what can be expected of internet memes in the current day. Several of the aforementioned cultural trends are things that are recognized today and managed to spread surprisingly well given limited communication. As expected, the internet makes it much easier to create, share, repurpose, and spread memes than ever before. However, many of the proto-memes from older civilizations are still recognized and discussed today, meaning they have withstood the test of time miraculously well and likely better than any modern memes ever will.
ContributorsDarr, Jackson Cole (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Tremblay, Rikki (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12
Description
This thesis examines the emerging significance of bubble tea as a part of a larger cultural identity of second generation Asian-Americans and how it has transformed between generations in the United States. From a seemingly simple drink to the global phenomenon that has shifted in connotation to a highly sophisticated crafted drink that has led to the “third-wave coffee shops” and a “third place” for many Asian-Americans today. Specifically, I analyze the ways that bubble tea has become almost synonymous with the Asian-American youth culture due to a shift in globalization, migration, and cultural power. Through a qualitative analysis as well as a social observation of the audience and targeted groups of consumers as each local shop, I will examine the influence of bubble tea. With this work, I show how bubble tea reflects a sense of “home” and an identity rooted in immigration to Asian-American pop culture today.
ContributorsVo, Crystal H (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Popova, Laura (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Runaway is the 34 minute short film released alongside Kanye West’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” album in 2010. The overall purpose of my project is to conduct a descriptive analysis of this film to analyze its visual messages and how they are influenced by the album’s lyrics as well. To dissect Runaway, I researched multiple perspectives of the film to further inform and provide a holistic view of the decoded messages in addition to my own analysis. Through use of the Stuart-Hall encoding and decoding model, I found multiple meanings for respective sections of Runaway and ultimately constructed a narrative path mirroring that of the album.
ContributorsBezawada, Ajay K (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Chris, Lambert (Committee member) / Travis, Bean (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This research examines the impact of films about corporate scandals stemming from environmental disasters, specifically the film Dark Waters which details the decade-long toxic chemical release by DuPont. It will also explore what distinguishes these kinds of documentary films as successful and if they result in corporate change. Some films about corporate injustices have been successful in shaping viewers’ opinions and have brought about actual changes in targeted corporations’ behaviors. However, in some instances, even though a film may hurt the public image of the corporation, it does not actually affect the operation of the business. The recently released film Dark Waters details the story of the lawyer and farmer behind the lawsuit that exposed the toxic chemical release by DuPont. The film chronicles how the lawsuit revealed how DuPont ignored and even tried to cover up how its chemicals were poisoning its own workers and the surrounding communities. It remains to be seen if this film will result in DuPont actually changing the ways it does business. In this research, I analyze three documentary films involving corporate scandals with environmental ramifications and determine if any changes were made as a result of the films and what aspects of these films caused them to be successful. My findings indicate that there are many factors that dictate whether or not a film is successful in bringing about change at the corporate level. Some of the factors include the type of corporation, how many people the scandal or environmental disaster affected, and where the incidents took place. Also, certain aspects of the film itself such as being directed or produced by well-known and respected directors and producers as well as employing famous actors can make a difference in the film’s overall impact.
ContributorsDelgado, Morgan Elyse (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Hines, Taylor (Committee member) / Chemical Engineering Program (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This thesis seeks to understand how the film Legally Blonde has portrayed the interaction between femininity and women. Specifically, this paper will consider how feminism—defined through the context of the era and Legally Blonde—has empowered women to enter male-dominated professional workspaces—specifically in consideration of the legal profession. The feminism presented in Legally Blonde can be characterized through Elle Wood’s simultaneous displays of intelligence and focus on typical feminine interests: such as marriage, cosmetics, and the like (Marsh, 2005; Lucia, 2005; Hoffman-Longtin & Feldner, 2016). The “third-wave” feminist era surrounding Legally Blonde promotes the duality of women in expressing femininity and holding agentic capability (Dole, 2008). This thesis uses the film’s definition of feminism to consider the changes in women entering the legal profession, the identity of women who connect to the film, and the media’s responses and portrayal of the film. Legally Blonde defines feminism by presenting women as both intelligent and typically feminine—challenging the typical gender role of women in society with her expression of capability and seriousness. While the film elucidates a definition of feminism based on femininity and female agency, some women may not fit into this definition based on the lack of consideration of intersectionality in the film. While the film underlines a changing shift in acceptance of women’s expression of femininity, the film’s message may not apply to all women. Yet, Elle Woods remains a role model for many women to attend law school and her impact is emphasized in popular culture even today.
ContributorsBoucher, Nicole S (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Szeli, Eva (Committee member) / Historical, Philosophical & Religious Studies (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The rise in social media usage has sparked a new marketing strategy for brands and entrepreneurs known as influencing. Influencers use marketing tactics to persuade their social media followers to purchase a certain brand. For this thesis, we will be focusing on micro influencers who are defined as people that began as a regular, everyday person and became known for their knowledge about some specialist niche with a range of 10,000-500,000 followers.
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.
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.
ContributorsPangburn, Morgan Lane (Co-author) / Harazim, Genevieve (Co-author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
DescriptionThe Autobiography of a Mary Sue is the fictional autobiography of a fanfiction author, detailing her experiences in fandom and how they made her into her ‘more perfect’ aka more realized, modern self.
ContributorsTerasaki, Kimberly Midori (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Cruse, Markus (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
This thesis interprets and discusses the concept of representation of marginalized groups on television. The focus is on the character of Piper Chapman from the Netflix original series Orange is the New Black, and how her depiction is a unique kind of approach to the idea of The Burden of Representation. This idea theorizes that where there is representation, there is a duty held by the creators to tell a story that will not damage the communities it represents, as those stories shape the way the people who consume them think about said communities in real-life situations. However, if the creators were to construct a character or narrative that is perfect and “to-good-to-be-true,” that narrative may not be true to what is experienced by people in day-to-day life. One approach to this problem of non-damaging representation vs. genuine representation, is to create a character or narrative that is imperfect, but still a positive depiction. Not all “good” representation has to be perfect representation.
Through the examination of Piper Chapman’s character development, the narrative structure of Orange is the New Black, and the historical context of its representation in comparison to previous iterations, this thesis analyzes the unique way in which the show approaches its characters, setting, and storylines. The main subjects of analysis are Piper, and her girlfriend Alex Vause, each representing the bisexual and lesbian communities, respectively, and the major tropes that will be discussed are “the experimenting bisexual,” “the criminal lesbian,” “the vampiric lesbian,” and “bury your gays.” Each trope plays a significant role on the show, but the way the show uses its narrative structure and character development creates a new approach to the subversion of said tropes. Orange is the New Black focuses on telling a more human story rather than creating a perfect representation, while it still maintains a positive image for its characters.
Through the examination of Piper Chapman’s character development, the narrative structure of Orange is the New Black, and the historical context of its representation in comparison to previous iterations, this thesis analyzes the unique way in which the show approaches its characters, setting, and storylines. The main subjects of analysis are Piper, and her girlfriend Alex Vause, each representing the bisexual and lesbian communities, respectively, and the major tropes that will be discussed are “the experimenting bisexual,” “the criminal lesbian,” “the vampiric lesbian,” and “bury your gays.” Each trope plays a significant role on the show, but the way the show uses its narrative structure and character development creates a new approach to the subversion of said tropes. Orange is the New Black focuses on telling a more human story rather than creating a perfect representation, while it still maintains a positive image for its characters.
ContributorsMcdermot, Kathryn Lynne (Author) / Miller, April (Thesis director) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Committee member) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Sites of in-person fan/celebrity meetings can serve as a place for fans to share intimate details about themselves to celebrities. Through built-up confidence and knowledge of the subject matter, fans may be compelled to share personal anecdotes with the celebrity during these meetings. Fan studies scholars use the term “parasociality” to describe one-sided relationships between fans and celebrities. My research aims to show how in-person events cultivate intimacy between fans and celebrities, even while simultaneously reinforcing parasocial relationships. It is often used when referring to the relationships as being one-sided, even though the fan also gains something from the interaction.
ContributorsGalek, Veronica Lucya (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Hsu, Emily (Committee member) / Schultz, Miranda (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor, Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description
Esports streaming has become an entertainment giant and promises to continue to grow in the coming years. Streaming platforms, such as Twitch and Youtube, have become a haven for community and competition, blending the two into a novel form of interaction that fuels business. This study will analyze how the streaming of esports has influenced business in the technological realm of electronic games and contributed to the field’s longevity. It questions how we, as a society, view community in the online world which itself has become a site for the expansion of how people interact. The study also incorporates the idea of business into the market of technological electronic game-based communities and how competition through esports has also been a fuel for both. Through literature analysis and data collection, the goal of this research would be to increase knowledge on the understanding of streaming esports and help predict what foundation it might take as a whole later on.
ContributorsLatimer, Travis D (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Pierce, John (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05