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Dr. Cynthia Walker, Thesis Advisor
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- Description:
- The COVID-19 pandemic has affected people from all walks of life in various ways, and it has affected the way we consume media. Some spent more time on social media, others played more video games, but many sought refuge in streaming services and the content they offered. Analyzing this aspect of the pandemic has been done before through various surveys on a much larger scale, and analyzing it is particularly important because it shows how people’s habits changed since the pandemic began. This study is aimed to compare and contrast the streaming habits of people before and since the pandemic began. To achieve this, students at Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, NJ were surveyed about their streaming habits before and after the pandemic began, as well as a wide variety of people via social media. Previous research suggests that people around the world spent more time on streaming services, as well as on the internet in general. The results of this study suggest the same, with a large focus on college students, but including adults as old as 75 years old. This study showed that since the pandemic began, there was an increase in time spent on streaming services, and the amount of streaming services that people used.
- Subject:
- Communication & Media Culture
- Creator:
- Caruso, Joseph
- Contributor:
- Dr. Cynthia Walker, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/14/2022
- Date Modified:
- 06/14/2022
- Date Created:
- Spring 2022
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- The issue of diversity in literature is one of the utmost importance. However, it is only after recent developments that publishers and consumers are seeking fair representation in their books. The focus on diversity is a product of social equity -- or rather, a lack thereof -- around the world. Unjust practices against marginalized groups are not new but the hyper-awareness of these atrocities are. Social media platforms and other digital spaces allow people to post, share, and interact with other people they may not otherwise. In 2015, NCTE (The National Council of Teachers in English) called for the immediate expansion of diversity in children and young adult literature. The resolution followed an assessment of the Cooperative Children's Book Center and their 2014 statistics on diversity in literature: "The absence of human, cultural, linguistic, and family diversity in children's and young adult literature attests to the growing disparity and inequity in the publishing history in the United States... Lived experiences across human cultures including realities about appearance, behavior, economic circumstance, gender, national origin, social class, spiritual belief, weight, life, and thought matter," (NCTE, 2015). Despite the call to action, there are still less than 4,000 books by or about people of color on the market (Cooperative Children's Book Center, 2020). From the fall of 2020 to the spring of 2021, a series of surveys and interviews were conducted to measure the difference in character representation in Young Adult literature and how the formation of such characters impact readers when they are young. The surveys allowed the researcher to determine how frequently participants read as children, their favorite books, the types of books they read, what components of character relation resonate with the subjects the most, and what criteria must be considered for a novel and its protagonist to be considered "good." The results of the study demonstrated that YA fiction is based on predominantly white and heterosexual protagonists. There were moderate correlations between ethnicity and reading habits, the shared experiences of readers and their protagonists, and varying differences between older and young participants. The study concluded that there has been a significant development in diversification in young adult literature during the past ten years.
- Subject:
- Communication and Media Culture
- Creator:
- Bell, Rickea
- Contributor:
- Dr. Cynthia Walker, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/09/2021
- Date Modified:
- 06/09/2021
- Date Created:
- Spring 2021
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- With the advent of the Internet and the continually shifting state of digital technology, simply and concretely defining “fans” and “fandom” proves a somewhat daunting task. Accordingly, the complexity and uniqueness of the British science fiction series Doctor Who does little to ease this challenge. Followings its 2005 revival, a new influx of fans suddenly appeared alongside time-tested fans of the program’s original run, and if defining the fandom itself proves difficult for its diversity, observing the divide between old Who and “Nu Who” does not. Hadas (2009) has written much on old fandom’s transition to the Internet, but these newer fans have utilized the Internet throughout their entire fan experience, both to supplement old practices and to engage in new ones. Therefore, through two surveys handed out at New York Comic Con, at Saint Peter’s University, through snowball sampling, and via Tumblr, this study focuses primarily on those new fans and the practices in which they engage to examine what differences, if any, exist along gender lines and age lines. What emerges is a group of individuals who identify as strong Doctor Who fans but who do not necessarily engage in traditional fan practices, such as fan fiction writing. They do, however, engage passively in new ways through the Internet, allowing fan content to find them rather than actively searching for it. Perhaps they are fans without a fandom—a picture of the mainstream audience entering more traditionally “fannnish” culture through new media and examined through the lens of Rogers (2003) diffusion of innovations.
- Subject:
- Communication and Media Culture
- Creator:
- Holowienka, Matthew Raymond
- Contributor:
- Dr. Cynthia Walker, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 10/14/2020
- Date Modified:
- 10/14/2020
- Date Created:
- May 6, 2015
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- This research study is dedicated to analyzing how gender is represented and perceived in the comic book medium, specifically in American superhero comic books and Japanese action-adventure shonen manga genre comics. The comic book medium has cemented itself as a creative cultural cornerstone valued by many fans. Despite this, the comic book industry is predominantly male and female comic book characters are scrutinized. (Roberts, 2016). In response to occurrences like these, survey and interview questions were created for this research study and given to comic book fans and artists respectively for insight into how comic book fans and creators feel about gender representation. As a result, it has been discovered that both male and female comic book fans have diverse opinions on preferable gender representation but tend to agree on certain kinds of character attire being desirable/impractical and how to detect or trust specific kinds of female characters.
- Subject:
- Communication and Media Studies
- Creator:
- Viera, Mario J.
- Contributor:
- Dr. Cynthia Walker, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/10/2020
- Date Modified:
- 06/10/2020
- Date Created:
- April 20, 2020
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- Directioners. Believers. Beatlemania. Swifties. Selenators. Trekkies. Hiddlestoners. All of these fandoms are based on one very important factor -- parasocial relationships. A term coined by Donald Horton and Richard Wohl in 1956, a parasocial relationship is used to describe the form of communication between ordinary people and performers in the mass media. These relationships are controlled by the performer based on what they chose to share with their audience. They also lack reciprocity, as the performers don't know nearly as much about each individual as the audience as a whole knows about them. Nonetheless, nearly 70 years after being defined, this perception of a relationship between a performer and a fan has expanded and intensified as mass media consumers our lives and we, the fans, begin to think of the people who we once idolized as friends. The study conducted took a look at parasocial relationship and the way in which they affect our interactions with celebrities on social media. In addition to basic questions used to understand the demographics of the sample, participants were asked a series of questions involving social media, celebrities, and their tv-watching and music-listening behaviors using Likert scales to allow the individual to express how much they agree or disagree with a particular statement. Although the participants may disagree, some questions were simple, asking for their favorite television shows and musicians. Others required more self-reflection and thought about how they relate to these strangers they say are their favorite people and why they even like them in the first place. Finally, participants were asked to criticize their own use of social media, from the posts they like, their willingness to unfollow a celebrity, and their tendency to comment on posts, if they do at all. Since this study was conducted at a primarily Hispanic, majority-female institution, ethnicity and gender are not as relevant in this study but it is still remarkable that females seem to be more open about their interactions with their favorite celebrities. More often than not these are people we have never met or spoken to yet we know more about them at times than we know about our friends, family members, or even ourselves. Why is this a thing? How is this a thing? Is there a benefit to it all? These are just some of the questions that arose throughout the study. Through the research conducted, it seems that although there is no end to the extent of a parasocial relationship, there are ways in which they can legitimately benefit people. Of course, today parasocial interactions have grown from simply what we see of television personalities on the shows the star into celebrities and influencers in general, really anyone we interact with through social media.
- Subject:
- Communication and Media Studies
- Creator:
- Morales, Alexis
- Contributor:
- Dr. Cynthia Walker, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Modified:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Created:
- April 20, 2020
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- For the 2016 United States Presidential election, 61.4% of the voting-age population reporting voting, "a number not statistically different from the 61.8% who reported voting in 2012," ("Voting in American", 2017). While race, economic status and age are seen as obvious factors that contribute to an active voter, there are factors that are just as important but have been less researched. If a person was raised in a household that openly discussed politics, are they more likely to actively vote in local, state and national elections? If a person's parents or friends subscribe to a specific political party, how likely is it that a voting-age adult will feel pressured to vote for a certain candidate? Does the type of media that of media that one consumes have an effect on a person's voting habits? Theses are just a few of the questions that were answered through the research conducted. With the use of printed surveys and later on, an online survey, 102 respondents were asked 24 questions about the voting habits, and the habits of the friends and family. The study shows that most young adults do consider themselves "active voters, and vote in local, state and national elections, although the emphasis is placed on the national election. The research also showed that individuals who grew up in politically active households (their parents voted, they discussed politics, etc.) were more likely to become active voters themselves versus individuals who had parents who did not vote and did not discuss politics. This was despite the fact whether the individuals agreed with their parents about politics. These results suggest that a person's upbringing and who they hang around with does have an effect on the type of voter that they are.
- Subject:
- Communication and Media Studies
- Creator:
- Antonucci, Alexandra
- Contributor:
- Dr. Cynthia Walker, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Modified:
- 06/09/2020
- Date Created:
- April 20, 2020
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- The following paper delves into the media habits of members of Generation Y (Millennials) and Generation Z. Media consumption is rising rapidly and, as more people get access to more content, there are going to be wider audiences searching for themselves in the entertainment they consume. How content creators choose to represent stories influences audience dialogue on sensitive variables such as youth mental health, evident in popular shows such as 13 Reasons Why (Jacobson, 2017). Growing up with a non-stop flow of information and media creates a group of critical consumers, especially embodied in the current emphasis on inclusive narratives. Urban youth, for example, might call for specific perspectives to deal with unique traumas (Ickovics, J.R., Meade, C.S., Kerhsaw, T.S., Milan, S., Lewis, J.B. & Ethier, K.A., 2006). This research was designed to get an idea of how Millennials and Generation Z perceive themselves in media. The following information was received via survey, distributed electronically to the Saint Peter’s University student body in Jersey City, New Jersey. The majority of respondents were female members of Generation Z. People reported feeling least represented in regards to religion and most represented in regards to generation. On a scale of 1 to 5, the majority ranked themselves at a 3 when asked how represented in media they felt. Three of the top choices for shows that were the most successful at authentically representing Millennials and Generation Z were also some of the top choices for shows that were least successful at accurate portrayals of Millennials and Generation Z, these being 13 Reasons Why, Modern Family and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. The findings concluded with the strong assertion that 96% of young adults would like their generation to have input in the media created for their consumption.
- Creator:
- Lalaoui, Reyhan
- Contributor:
- Dr. Cynthia Walker, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 10/23/2019
- Date Modified:
- 10/23/2019
- Date Created:
- May 2019
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Description:
- Music is an art form that has been around for centuries as a form of expression, ritual, tradition, and more. Now, it has transformed from art into a business. Today, the music industry is a $43 billion industry according to Maeve McDermott (2018) in the news article, “The music industry is booming” (McDermott, 2018, para.1). With this industry comes an array of different music styles and artistry. One of them being black music artists who have dominated the industry since the beginning of Motown and maybe even before then. Every year new black music emerges such as Beyonce, Childish Gambino, Kanye West, Drake, Travis Scott, Sza, and many more. This research study was conducted to look at the history of black music and artistry of today and compare it to the Black Arts Movement of the 1960’s and the Hip-Hip Revolution of the 1980’s and 1990’s. Along with this historical and cultural analysis was a survey, which was handed out to participants to see the result to how people responded to black music artists. In the end, the discovery of this research became much more than about music, because it showed how we consume music as a society and what appeals to us. The survey and interviews conducted in this research have shown that different racial and ethnic groups such as whites, blacks/African-American, Hispanic/Latinos, Asian/Asian-Americans, and others are listening to black music artists with interest and at a high percentage. The results of the this study explores the appeal of black music artists to different audiences and shows the progression of black popularity to a wider audience.
- Creator:
- Johnson, Kadira
- Contributor:
- Dr. Cynthia Walker, Thesis Advisor
- Owner:
- lsquillante@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 10/23/2019
- Date Modified:
- 10/23/2019
- Date Created:
- May 2019
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper