Theses and Dissertations

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Open Access
A bewitching semblance of something to be desired: advertising nostalgia and product involvement's relative influence on attitudes and purchase intent among young adults
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Bray, Matthew T., author; Hallahan, Kirk, advisor; Long, Marilee, committee member; Donavan, Todd, committee member
Despite the recent rise of advertisements employing nostalgia, relatively few previous studies have investigated the effectiveness of nostalgic messages, especially as they might be applied to promote high- versus low-involvement products. Previous research has broadly conceptualized nostalgia without focusing on product-related or associational claims. This research used associational nostalgia where the nostalgic themes presented in the advertisements were not directly related to previous product usage. A quasi-experiment involving a convenience sample of undergraduates (n=201) in a large classroom setting was used to compare the effects of nostalgic versus non-nostalgic messages in ads for a fictitious high involvement product (laptop computer) and a fictitious low involvement product (paper notebooks). Participants were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions and read a single ad. Product knowledge for laptops and notebooks (and two distractor products) were measured in a pretest questionnaire; dependent measures in the posttest results were measured in terms of three dependent measures: attitude toward the ad, attitude toward the brand, and purchase intent. Additionally, because previous research has yet to determine how nostalgic advertising is most likely to be cognitively processed, open-ended cognitive response items were also included to further investigate the type of processing that is most frequently occurring. Gender was included as a possible moderating variable. The results provide mixed support for the hypothesized relationships between product involvement and nostalgic advertising themes. Findings suggest that females are particularly responsive, in terms of attitude toward the ad and attitude toward the brand, to associational nostalgic claims for the low involvement product (notebooks). Cognitive response-thought listing results suggest that when the primary thought elicited from the advertisement was nostalgic in nature, other references to the product or the ad itself decreased. Implication and practical considerations for content creators in advertising as well as future research suggestions are also discussed.
Open Access
A critical analysis of participatory research in the social sciences
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Russell, Gregory, author; Champ, Joseph, advisor; Arthur, Tori, committee member; Carcasson, Martin, committee member; Flores, David, committee member; Humphrey, Michael, committee member
In this dissertation, I put forward ethical, methodological, and epistemological reasons that warrant the presence of participants in the appraisal of social scientific research products. I discuss the nature of appraisal through Wittgenstein's linguistic philosophy and use it to support the claim that participatory research holds the capacity to improve formalized appraisal processes in cultural research. Extending the critique into a consideration of Western and Indigenous epistemologies, I attempt to deconstruct the ways in which Western academic research, specifically social scientific research, perpetrates colonialism and how, through participatory research, social scientific research practices might begin the process of decolonization. I then discuss how descriptive analytic techniques can make participant appraisal viable in academic contexts by showing how participatory strategies can license non-immersive data-collection methods, e.g., general interview-based research, in ways that are typically associated with those that are immersive, e.g., participant-observation.
Open Access
A mixed-methods analysis of best practices for land-grant university mobile applications from a user experience design perspective
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Valoris, Michelle, author; Hallahan, Kirk, advisor; Kim, Jangyul, committee member; McKelfresh, David, committee member
A content analysis of 30 mobile applications for the largest land-grant universities in the United States was conducted to examine the use of recognized best practices for mobile application development. A total of 49 variables were identified as best practices across five hierarchical categories of user experience (UX) design based on a model proposed by Garrett (2011). These included: visual design, user interface and navigation design, interaction design and information architecture, content and services offered, and functional and technical specifications. Based on quantitative scores for each of the variables, the best overall apps were identified and reviewed using qualitative description analysis. The best overall app was created by the University of New Hampshire; other top apps examined in the study were developed by the University of Arizona, Ohio State University, University of Florida, Washington State University and Michigan State University. The findings revealed that it was very difficult for a mobile app to be exemplary in all five of the UX categories and thus comply with best practices. Analysis of the top six ranked applications portrayed how the UX categories and best practices interacted with and relied on one another to create a successful user experience. The study provided guidelines for universities to build more effective mobile apps and a foundation for further research into mobile application best practice measures, mobile app strategies, and the user experience of mobile applications.
Open Access
A Philosophical collision: media ethics meets neuroscience
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Muncy, Rhema M., author; Plaisance, Patrick, advisor; Christen, Cindy, committee member; Troup, Lucy, committee member
Paving new theoretical pathways often comes at the crossroads of different perspectives uniting to consider questions. Neuroethics is one such lens at the forefront of current media ethics research. This thesis seeks to build theoretical bridges between neuroscience and media ethics, an integration of diverse methodologies to assist in maturation of the field. Neurobiological tools and theories have flanked sociological considerations for several decades, and research in journalistic academia has also begun to integrate these ideas. Decision making from the inside-out is examined through Cognitive Affective Units, Identity Theory, the role of emotions in reasoning and Schema Theory. A sample study design is suggested utilizing Rest's Defining Issues Test developed for fMRI. Other areas suggested for exploration include pedagogy, free will, autonomy and moral development processes.
Open Access
A rhetorical storm: linguistic analysis of uncertainty in severe weather communication
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Rosen, Zoey, author; Long, Marilee, advisor; Demuth, Julie, committee member; Schumacher, Russ, committee member
Weather forecasts are a product with inherent uncertainty and a wide audience (Compton, 2018). Known as an example of prediction rhetoric (Morss, Demuth, & Lazo, 2008), weather forecasts have been found to be influenced by linguistic and cultural factors in case studies (Pennesi, 2007). However, forecasts are still rarely studied as articles of rhetoric (Compton, 2018). This study analyzed patterns amongst the linguistics of uncertainty expressions in Twitter forecasts during a cluster of tornadoes in March 2018 through a content analysis. Tornado hazard messaging, due to tornadoes' short-term threat and overarching potential for damage (Ripberger, Jenkins-Smith, Silva, Carlson, & Henderson, 2014), provides an opportunity to study uncertainty language during short-term hazardous scenarios. Across a five-day period, there were N = 2,459 severe weather forecast tweets from 146 Twitter users located in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia. Results indicate there were significant relationships between the source of a forecast (i.e., weather media, weather government, and non-weather government) and uncertainty expression. Weather media sources were significantly less likely than government sources (both weather and non-weather) to use uncertainty expressions in their forecast tweets. The state the Twitter source was located also influenced the amount of uncertainty expressed within a forecast. For example, tweets from areas with a greater number of tornadoes were significantly less likely to contain uncertainty expressions than were areas with fewer threats. Also, time (measured as the number of days before tornado touchdown) was shown to have a significant relationship with uncertainty expression, as the amount of uncertainty expressed decreased the closer in time the messages were to the tornadic event. Due to the large amount of uncertainty in weather prediction, meteorological forecasts during severe events provide a unique, fascinating area for future research on risk communication and public safety messaging.
Open Access
Adolescents and nutrition information-seeking: the role of the Internet
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Larsen, Jessica Nicole, author; Martey, Rosa Mikeal, advisor; Anderson, Jennifer, committee member; Seel, Peter Benjamin, committee member
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the ways adolescents find and make sense of nutrition information, giving special attention to the role of the Internet in that process. Adolescents' behaviors and opinions relevant to finding nutrition information were investigated using Kuhlthau’s (1993) iterative model of information-seeking as a theoretical foundation. Since many skills are required to search, engage with, and use online information sources and information, the information-seeking process was investigated in relationship to an applied context of eHealth literacy (Norman & Skinner, 2006a), referred to as eNutrition literacy. From six in-depth interviews and a brief paper-and-pencil questionnaire with seventy-nine adolescents aged 12-16 two trends emerged: 1) these adolescents were primarily presented with and fulfilled nutrition information needs in formal settings such as school and 2) these adolescents used the Internet to fulfill primarily personal needs. Therefore, a conflict existed between the ways they used the Internet and the ways they were presented with a nutrition information-seeking task. Nutrition-specific information literacy, media literacy, health literacy, and scientific literacy, created challenges in stages of the information-seeking process as well. Fundamentally, this affected their overall engagement with online nutrition information and their ability to receive the maximum benefits from the online information-seeking process.
Open Access
Affective attunement and counter-power affordances of Twitter to the 2020 #EndSARS protests in Nigeria
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Enyinnaya, Virtue Chibuike, author; Tham, Samuel M., advisor; Arthur, Tori, committee member; Faw, Meara, committee member
Using the Network theory of Power, and Affective Public, this study employs a Critical Technocultural Discourse Analysis (CTDA) to examine the affective attunement and counter-power affordances of Twitter during the 2020 #EndSARS protests in Nigeria. Drawing on qualitative data collected from Twitter during the protests, the study examined the ways in which Twitter facilitated affective attunement - the ability of Twitter users to attune to each other's emotions - in amplifying activist voices and mobilizing publics for collective action. It also analyzed the counter-power affordances of Twitter, which enabled protesters to challenge dominant discourses and power structures in Nigeria. Through a CTDA lens, the study explored the ways in which power, cultural ideologies, users' online experiences, and technology intersected in the #EndSARS protests, and how these dynamics shaped the outcomes of the protests in addressing police brutality in Nigeria. The findings suggest that Twitter played a significant role in the mobilization and organization of the protests, and that affective attunement and counter-power affordances were key factors in the success of the movement. This study contributes to our understanding of the complex relationships between power, technology, and social change, and provides insights for future research on the role of social media in protest movements within regimented democracies. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
Open Access
Affordance alteration in the contexts of video game communities
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Laman, Landon Paul, author; Wolfgang, Justin David, advisor; Castillo, Dani, committee member; Marx, Nick, committee member
This study analyzes a group of players within the online video game Grand Theft Auto 5 in the context of their relationships to affordances within the game and how they alter these affordances to curate the game to their desires. The group within this study has a rigid social hierarchy and limits their available affordances through the game for a more intimate knowledge of its functions and increased senses of accomplishment through group play. This study utilizes Gibson's affordances to explain the relationship between player and world, social identity theory to examine the group dynamic and its impact on conceptualization of self and group, media system dependency theory to unravel the motivations of the players, and CTDA to analyze the group's utilization of the platform as a place for community gathering and meaning making. This study was conducted through 1:1 interviews with members of the group to understand their interactions, feelings, and motivations behind their restrictive brand of play and the difference between the spirit and the word of the rule set.
Open Access
Am I ugly or do I have BDD?: personal disclosure and social support on a body dysmorphic disorder online forum
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Fisher, Eva E., author; Hallahan, Kirk, advisor; Rouner, Donna, committee member; Long, Marilee, committee member; Ogle, Jennifer, committee member; Williams, Elizabeth, committee member
The current study used an emergent research design that employed qualitative content analysis to understand how individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) communicate with their peers in an online support forum (psychforum.com/body-dysmorphic-disorder). The purpose was to explore (a) the communication activities on the forum, (b) the personal experiences with BDD disclosed by participants, (c) the categories of social support sought and shared, and (d) the social support provided and roles performed by the most frequent posters to the forum. The data sample consisted of 911 messages posted by 225 participants during 2012. The primary communication activities on the forum were asking about other members’ personal experiences and seeking support, disclosing personal experiences and providing support, engaging in conversations, and storytelling. Personal disclosures included appearance concerns (feeling ugly, depressed, guilty, ashamed, angry, and suicidal), compulsive behaviors (plastic surgery, mirror/photograph checking, and social comparison), the impact on one’s personal life, and recovery from BDD (treatment, diagnosis, coping, and overcoming symptoms). Social support sought and shared included informational, emotional, and social network support. Informational support topics included diagnosis, treatment, overcoming symptoms, and recovery. Emotional support took the form of empathy, caring/concern, gratitude, encouragement, sympathy, compliments, and validation. Social network support reinforced that people who understand the disorder were present on the forum and could provide companionship. Although not common, unsupportive comments (disagreement, disapproval, criticism/sarcasm, and flaming) were also present. The five most frequent posters were emergent leaders whose supportive roles supplemented those of the two forum moderators. The most frequent poster was a male who played a lead role in providing informational and social network support, along with four frequent female posters whose primary contribution was providing emotional support. The five emergent leaders and moderators also performed functional roles, including greeter, advocate, arbiter, mediator/harmonizer, corroborator/validator, information/opinion giver, evaluator/critic, and encourager/cheerleader, that were critical to the successful functioning of the forum. The study discusses five key conclusions (themes) that offer valuable insight into how members communicated on the forum: (a) personal disclosure facilitated social support in initial posts and responses, (b) group members served primarily as support providers or support seekers whose behaviors were complementary and essential to the successful functioning of the forum, (c) contributions to the forum varied by gender with females providing more personal disclosure and social support than males, (d) the forum served as a coping mechanism where members shared coping strategies and coping assistance, and (e) the forum offered members peer support within an online community that supplemented the support received from other online and in-person sources. The study underscores the growing importance of peer-to-peer communication and contributes to the limited research on online support groups for individuals coping with serious mental illness. As a result of this investigation, health communication scholars will have an increased understanding of why individuals with stigmatized health conditions turn to their peers to find the support they need online. In addition, this study provides BDD researchers and clinicians with an increased awareness about the resources and support needed by those suffering from the disorder.
Open Access
An experiment analyzing information overload and its impact on students' consumer knowledge of high-definition television
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Vigil, Anthony Taeyang, author; Seel, Peter B., advisor; Switzer, Jamie S., committee member; Vigil, Patricia M., committee member
This study examined college students' consumer knowledge and how information overload affect students' understanding of High-Definition Television (HDTV). It explored the possible contributing attributes that may lead to information overload. It examined students' knowledge of High-Definition Television, and how both experience and perception of HDTV can influence information intake. When High-Definition TV was being touted to the world, broadcasters, manufacturers, and the government were rushing to inform the public of the transition and its impact. From $40 coupons for conversion boxes to differences between Plasma and DLP, the consumer was inundated with information related to HDTV. This study looks at the various constructs that create information overload allowing us to avoid useless, fragmented information that can hinder the decision making process. It provides insight into how consumers ingested this flow of information that can possibly save millions in information promotion and dispersion. Additionally, it provides important comprehensive substance to uncovering consumer behavior.
Open Access
Analyzing risk-related information seeking behavioral intention and risk perception of wildfires: the High Park Fire Burn Area
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Mokry, Melissa M., author; Trumbo, Craig, advisor; Kim, Jangyul, committee member; Abrams, Katie, committee member; Hoffman, Chad, committee member; Schumacher, Russ, committee member
This study assessed risk-related information seeking behavioral intention and dual-process risk perception within the context of wildfires. Particularly, the study focused on utilizing a combined risk-related information seeking model with concepts originating from the planned risk information seeking model (PRISM), a framework of risk information seeking (FRIS), and the risk information seeking and processing model (RISP). The key concepts utilized included: past risk-related information seeking, self-efficacy, response efficacy, dual-process risk perception (affective and cognitive risk perception, perceived hazard knowledge, information needs, and behavioral intention. A survey (N=432; 60.8% response rate) was disseminated to the High Park Fire Burn Area, west of Fort Collins, Colorado which experienced a wildfire in 2012. The survey revealed the importance of including dual-process risk perception in risk-related information seeking models and highlighted its influence on past risk-related information seeking and risk-related information seeking behavioral intention. Response efficacy was correlated with self-efficacy, following suit to other risk-related information seeking studies. Cognitive risk perception was correlated with affective risk perception, suggesting a bi-directional relationship between the two concepts. Individuals were more likely to seek wildfire information in the past if they did not have enough knowledge about the hazard. Moreover, individuals are more likely to base their risk perception on their emotions, particularly when facing a wildfire. The results from the survey revealed that the exploratory path had a better model fit than the confirmatory path model, yet both provided important findings related to risk-related information seeking behavioral intention and dual-process risk perception. This study reaffirmed the need for theoretical improvement related to current information needs, particularly in relation with perceived hazard knowledge and risk-related information seeking behavioral intention. There were inconsistencies with current information needs throughout the study, following suit with the literature and calls for further refinement of the concept. Implications and future research efforts are also noted and discussed such as the importance of tailored messaging and a communication campaign.
Open Access
Are they listening to us? A comparison of student responses to traditional vs. user-generated marketing content
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Hagedorn, Mandy, author; Hallahan, Kirk, advisor; Champ, Joseph, committee member; Oldham, Kyle, committee member
Marketers for university housing departments use a variety of traditional and digital tools to promote positive attitudes and interest among prospective student residents. This study used one-on-one semi-structured qualitative in-depth interviews to explore perceptions and reactions of ten first-year students at Colorado State University. Students were shown two examples of traditional marketer-generated content, including a printed Housing Guide publication that all admitted first-year students receive by mail and a video on Housing & Dining Services' website that features a student-guided tour of one of the residence halls on campus. Participants also reviewed a user-generated YouTube video featuring the same residence hall and the CSU Rams Class of 2017 Facebook group page that includes 3,000+ members. Marketer-generated materials resulted in positive attitudes and a greater sense of credibility, while the user-generated video and Facebook group page were not considered credible by as many of the participants. While students were not averse to using user-generated content online to form opinions and make decisions, they displayed more hesitation at trusting information found online versus information shared within their networks of peers or personal contacts. The results suggest that university-produced materials, particularly the housing department's comprehensive printed publication, continue to play a vital role in a university's promotional efforts, despite the widespread contention that students prefer to obtain information online and rely heavily on user-generated content. The study provides seven recommendations for future marketing efforts based on the students' preferences.
Open Access
Autonomy in local digital journalism: a mixed-method triangulation exploration of the organizational culture and individual moral psychology factors of digital news workers
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Zlaten, Rhema, author; Anderson, Ashley A., advisor; Plaisance, Patrick L., advisor; Abrams, Katie, committee member; Rollin, Bernard, committee member; Tropman, Elizabeth, committee member
The main purpose of this mixed-method dissertation was to examine the shifting digital news industry, especially in regard to individual and organizational-level autonomy. Specifically, this work responds to calls in media ethics, media sociology, and moral ecology to better understand how organizational structure and individual moral psychology factors influence the levels digital news workers exhibit autonomy within their digital news organization. The autonomous agency of news workers is an essential indicator of how journalism work is fulfilling its role as the fourth estate in American democracy. This dissertation examined how autonomy is either inhibited or enabled by a myriad of factors in the digital news frontier. I worked with the editorial staff at a hyper-local digitally native news organization, The Golden Gate, over the course of one year. I began the research process with a participant observation period. Then a few months later the staff completed a moral psychology-based survey online. My data collection period ended with in-depth participant interviews based on the themes found during the first two phases. My data collection resulted in several themes to answer my research questions concerning the organizational structure, leadership, socialization, and autonomy of The Golden Gate. These themes included company culture (divided into several sub themes), routine and workflow (also divided into several sub themes), individual autonomy, individual processes of growth, organizational autonomy (also divided into several sub themes), and professional autonomy. The first overarching perspective I gained during this study was that the experimental hyper-local journalism model enacted by The Golden Gate digital news organization represented a new wave of digital journalism. The Golden Gate's digital product was a carefully curated newsletter representing a richer take on conveying not just their original reporting, but the story of the city. A second overarching perspective I gained during my research process was seeing the strength of how the moral psychology components informed the media sociological considerations of my research site. The moral psychology survey components teased out the ethical climates of the staff. The highest ranking ethical climate (according to the Ethical Climate Questionnaire results) for The Golden Gate was the social responsibility climate, a climate that speaks to journalistic professional norms of serving the public good. The second highest ranked ECQ was the teamwork climate. These ethical orientations stemmed in part from the company's structuring vision of an audience-first focus, but they also flowed from the staff's strong allegiance to professional journalistic norms, as deciphered from the moral psychology components of my survey. I also found support for my variables. When I examined my data on the variable of The Golden Gate's organizational structure and routines, I found that in some ways, the company practiced traditional news culture. They exemplified high levels of independence in their reporting processes. The routine of the staff needing to divide their time between traditional reporting and public relations roles, however, was where the culture of the organization shifted significantly. They also exemplified a highly collaborative and role sharing work ethic. When I evaluated the leadership structure at The Golden Gate, I found a culture where each staff member was expected to take complete ownership of their role in the company. From the top down, everyone pitched in as needed, and they were all asked to actively participate in money and workflow committees as part of their regular duties. When I evaluated levels of autonomy, The Golden Gate staff exemplified high levels of autonomous agency in nearly every area of their work. Even in collaborative moments, the staff members each contributed their unique strengths and perspectives to get stories out. The staff also expressed a high level of freedom from top-level oversight as they shaped the voicing and coverage of their city. The staff did convey, however, a tension of the audience-first focus as a major driver of what stories they would work on. I also explored future research implications for media ethics, media sociology, and moral psychology, all research paradigms that can offer rich and varied perspectives on the future of digital journalism work.
Open Access
Breaking down the gates with participatory journalism: leveraging user-generated content for today's journalistic practices
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Kellerhals, Blair, author; Wolfgang, J. David, advisor; Williams, Elizabeth, committee member; Champ, Joseph G., committee member
With the increase in user-generated content (UGC) with today's information communication technologies (ICTs), there is ample opportunity for journalists to leverage UGC in their reporting. Because media organizations are continuously looking for creative and innovative ways to harness UGC to keep pace with today's ever-changing digital environment, there is a considerable amount of room to explore the effects on what this type of content has on journalistic practices. In an effort to understand how UGC fits into journalists' everyday work routines, this study seeks to understand how UGG encourages or impedes journalists' professional norms and values. This study revealed that journalists experience a considerable amount of internal conflict in leveraging UGC. Journalists expressed that they use UGC as a supplement to their existing reporting practices and avoid engaging with audiences for fear of challenging their journalistic ethics and norms.
Open Access
Building beautiful bridges: Indigenous womxn artists using social networking sites to address violence
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Folsom, Jennifer J., author; Wolfgang, J. David, advisor; Arthur, Tori Omega, committee member; Champ, Joseph G., committee member; Jacobs, Peter, committee member; Moore, Emily L., committee member
Using Indigenous aesthetics, critical technocultural discourse analysis, and Indigenous storyworks, this study explores how Indigenous womxn's art practices challenge settler-colonizing visual and media representations of Indigenous peoples that feed violence against womxn, girls and two-spirits; and in the digital realm, how sharing their art-stories is testimony to the unique voices of Indigenous womxn's leadership. A critical technocultural discourse analysis of in-depth interviews and social networking site (SNS) posts reveals underlying settler-colonial discourses. Through their art-storytelling, artist-participants use technocultural discourses of generosity, collaboration/reciprocity, calling in/calling out, creating and respecting boundaries and fierceness to shift dominating discourses. In a real sense they are building bridges between on and offline realms, strengthening community networks, and bringing together past, present and future to prevent violence.
Open Access
Chronic disease prevention in college students: assessment of perception and intention to use a health management app
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Coulibaly, Souleymane, author; Sivakumar, Gayathri, advisor; Abrams, Katie, committee member; Williams, Elizabeth A., committee member
The relationship between intention to use a hypothetical health management app and other variables from a conceptual framework of the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) was assessed using a convenience sample of college students (N= 176). The self-reported online survey measured perceived susceptibility to chronic diseases, perceived seriousness of chronic diseases, perceived benefits of the app, perceived barriers to the app, cues to action, social influence, facilitating conditions and intention to use the app, on 5-point Likert type scales adapted from previous studies. Multiple linear regression was used to determine relationships between the predictor variables and criterion variable. The results of the data analysis showed that individually there were a low perception of susceptibility to diseases, perception of barriers to the app and perception of social influence, and a high perception of seriousness of diseases, perception of benefits of the app, cues to action, facilitating conditions, and intention to use the app. Perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, social influence and facilitating conditions had a significant influence on college students' intention to use the app to manage different aspects of their health. However, perceived seriousness and cues to action were not found to predict college students' intention to use the health management app.
Open Access
Cis-male perspectives on advertising and marketing design for farm-to-table restaurants
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Jensen, Maya Faye, author; Abrams, Katie, advisor; Goar, Allison, committee member; Tham, Samuel, committee member
Sustainable green marketing emerged in the 1990's in response to consumer demands for greater access to sustainable options in an effort to protect future generations ahead. These changes would soon be incorporated into the self-regulation practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as it expanded businesses' concern for the environment through operations. Greenwashing emerged as some corporations took advantage of green marketing and were found guilty for misleading consumers about how environmentally responsible they were. Overtime, research has found environmental messaging in this context to be more traditionally feminine based on design elements like font, color, and imagery. This led the researcher to explore farm-to-table advertising, as there is limited research in this area regarding advertising and gender. Farm-to-tables reduce their carbon footprint by designing their menus to be seasonal and sourcing ingredients from local farms. An exploratory, qualitative study was conducted to understand cis-male college students' perceptions of and experiences with ads for farm-to-table restaurants as this perspective is often left out in marketing for this business. This study and its supplementary materials were guided by social role theory, theory of green purchase behavior and source credibility theory. A thematic analysis of participants' responses led to the emergence of four themes. Results from interviews with Colorado State University cis-male college students provided deeper insights into how design elements, previous experiences, relationships and perceptions impacted their attitudes and perceived credibility towards farm-to-table restaurants.
Open Access
Claims and frames: newspaper coverage of the human papillomavirus vaccine
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Shenk, Caitlin, author; Trumbo, Craig, advisor; Broadfoot, Kirsten J., committee member; O'Keefe, Garrett J., committee member
Human papillomavirus, or HPV, a common sexually transmitted infection, has been identified as a primary cause of cervical cancer. With the availability of HPV vaccines, accurate and understandable information about HPV and HPV vaccines will be essential to manage personal and public responses to HPV and vaccine risks. The media play a key role in providing the public with that information. This content analysis quantitatively explored media treatment of risk associated HPV and the HPV vaccine through the theoretical lenses of framing and claims-making. A coding schema was developed to identify and quantify recurring information, frames, and claims-makers in coverage. Overall, coverage addressed a breadth of background and risk information about HPV and the HPV vaccine, but lacked a depth of discussion that would better inform readers. Dominant frames emphasized moral judgments, positive benefits, preventative behaviors, episodic contexts, institutional responsibility, and ethical values. Claims-makers more commonly made claims about the HPV vaccine over HPV, and the types of claims-makers included for each were relatively consistent. Although the media are not explicitly tasked with educating people on all the facts and perspectives about HPV and HPV vaccination, it is important to recognize their influence on the health and risk information people receive. Media coverage of HPV and the HPV vaccine could better inform the public by including more detailed background and risk information and by emphasizing a broader range of frames and claims-makers to provide readers with a more comprehensive understanding of the scope and implications of these issues.
Open Access
Colorado journalists' application and understanding of guidelines for reporting on sensitive topics: suicides
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Miller, Sunday E., author; Wolfgang, David, advisor; Long, Marilee, committee member; Carcasson, Martín, committee member
Research suggests news reporting on suicides that does not follow recommended guidelines can cause vulnerable people to imitate suicidal behavior. Reporting guidelines for suicide have been created and disseminated with mixed success rates. This study used structured in-depth interviews with Colorado newspaper journalists to examine the ways local journalists report on suicides and the extent to which they follow recommended reporting guidelines, as well as explored the influences and ethical decisions journalists encounter when covering suicide. Findings indicate journalists view guidelines as suggestions not requirements and that they violate them based on their morals or personal connection to suicide. The Hierarchical Model framework suggests various influences shape media content, which can explain the guidelines journalists consider and why they create content the way they do. The results of this study echos literature showing collaborative guideline creation and implementation is key to minimizing harm, destigmatizing mental illness, and changing suicide reporting practices.
Open Access
Communication about noxious weeds among property owners in Teton County, Wyoming
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Parker-Renga, Theodore P., author; Hallahan, Kirk, advisor; Champ, Joseph G., committee member; Fernandez-Gimenez, Maria E., committee member
A survey, conducted in cooperation with the Teton County Weed & Pest District, was mailed to property owners (n = 414) in Teton County (Jackson Hole), Wyoming, to explore how and why this audience seeks information about noxious weeds. Prior to the survey, a model was developed based on concepts and relationships adapted from the Risk Information Seeking and Processing model (Griffin, Dunwoody, & Neuwirth, 1999). High levels of concern about the risk posed by weeds, coupled with a low perceived knowledge, were correlated with the need for information about this topic. Consistent with the RISP model, the likelihood of seeking information was highly correlated with perceived social pressure to be informed about invasive plants. However, information need as measured here, which varied from the approach used in the RISP model, was negatively correlated to information seeking, suggesting that self-identity, or a sense of duty to others or the community, might better explain information seeking. Perceived knowledge was related to a higher frequency of controlling weeks (defined as 3 or more times a year), whether the respondent worked in a weed-related industry, and membership (versus non-membership) in a conservation organization. Concern was mostly explained by frequency of controlling weeds. Perceived social pressure to be informed was driven by owning a larger parcel (>1 acre), by working in a weed-related industry, and by membership in a conservation organization. A higher frequency of controlling weeds was the best predictor of information seeking, while owning more than 1 acre, working in a weed-related industry, and membership in a conservation organization were predictors of information sharing. No statistically significant differences were discerned based on gender. Property owners, who were notably older (mean age of 58 years) and better educated (73.3% completed college) than the American population as a whole, indicated brochures and websites as the tools they prefer for learning and sharing information about weeds. Little support was found for using social media, such as Facebook, for spreading the word about weeds among property owners. Participants did report a strong willingness, however, to share information with family, friends, and neighbors, suggesting social networks do have potential for disseminating information about invasive plants. Property owners expressed a need to know more about control options other than herbicides and for help with identification. While they had only a moderate concern about weeds in general, property owners did express a high level of concern for the negative impacts weeds pose to desirable vegetation. Practical implications for communicating about noxious weeds with property owners are discussed.