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Coming to a full stop: An investigation of menstrual period stigmas in college students
Title
Coming to a full stop: An investigation of menstrual period stigmas in college students.
Creator
O'Toole, Mary, Sellnow, Deanna, Sandoval, Jennifer, Dodd, Melissa, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The focus of this study was to understand perceptions college students have regarding menstruation and if viewing a normalized media message may influence these perceptions. A treatment group of participants was randomly assigned to view an episode of the hit family sitcom Blackish that focused on menstruation and then answer survey questions. A control group of participants only answered the survey questions. A mixed methods analysis revealed three primary conclusions. First, these results...
Show moreThe focus of this study was to understand perceptions college students have regarding menstruation and if viewing a normalized media message may influence these perceptions. A treatment group of participants was randomly assigned to view an episode of the hit family sitcom Blackish that focused on menstruation and then answer survey questions. A control group of participants only answered the survey questions. A mixed methods analysis revealed three primary conclusions. First, these results contradict existing research in that the college students surveyed generally do not hold negative perceptions that may stigmatize menstruation. Second, the treatment that viewed the normalized media message intervention did not report significantly more positive perceptions about menstruation as a natural bodily function than their counterparts in the control group. Third, many participants acknowledged menstruation is a stigmatized topic and media messages not only currently contribute to these attitudes but could be used as a catalyst for guiding society toward normalizing it. These results extend existing research on how people perceive menstruation and on mass media effect research as a means to address stigmatized topics.
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Date Issued
2018
Identifier
CFE0007066, ucf:51970
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007066
A QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF ADOLESCENT FEMALES' USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES
Title
A QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF ADOLESCENT FEMALES' USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES.
Creator
Pate, Janine, DeLorme, Denise, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The aim of the present study was to explore the ways adolescent females, age 14 through 17, utilized social networking websites such as MySpace and Facebook for communication, self-presentation and identity development purposes. Uses and gratifications theory served as a framework for identifying the participantsÂÂ' motivations for heavily using these websites, which allow users to post pictures, interests and updates for their friends to view and interact with online....
Show moreThe aim of the present study was to explore the ways adolescent females, age 14 through 17, utilized social networking websites such as MySpace and Facebook for communication, self-presentation and identity development purposes. Uses and gratifications theory served as a framework for identifying the participantsÂÂ' motivations for heavily using these websites, which allow users to post pictures, interests and updates for their friends to view and interact with online. Using a qualitative method, one preliminary focus group and ten in-depth interviews were conducted, totaling fifteen female participants between the ages of 14 and 17. Interview questions covered topics such as peer interactions through social networking sites, posting personal content to their profile pages, self-presentations through pictures and text, creating and maintaining friendships through these sites, and negative and positive feedback received through comments. Results indicated that the participants frequently used social networking websites for five main gratifications: Information Sharing, Convenient Communication, Self-Expression, Friendship Formation and Social Support.
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Date Issued
2010
Identifier
CFE0003180, ucf:48608
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003180
MYSPACE OR OURSPACE: A MEDIA SYSTEM DEPENDENCY VIEW OF MYSPACE
Title
MYSPACE OR OURSPACE: A MEDIA SYSTEM DEPENDENCY VIEW OF MYSPACE.
Creator
Schrock, Andrew, Brown, Timothy, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
MySpace is a type of "social networking" website where people meet, socialize, and create friendships. The way MySpace members, particularly younger individuals, interact online underscores the changing nature of mass media. Media system dependency states that individuals become reliant on media in their daily life because of fundamental human goals. This reliance, termed a dependency, leads to repeated use. Media system dependency was applied in the current study to explain how and why...
Show moreMySpace is a type of "social networking" website where people meet, socialize, and create friendships. The way MySpace members, particularly younger individuals, interact online underscores the changing nature of mass media. Media system dependency states that individuals become reliant on media in their daily life because of fundamental human goals. This reliance, termed a dependency, leads to repeated use. Media system dependency was applied in the current study to explain how and why individuals became habitual MySpace users. To attain results a survey was administered to a convenience sampling of 401 adult undergraduates at the University of Central Florida. Members reported MySpace dependency had a moderate correlation to MySpace use, and they actively used the website an average of 1.3 hours of use per day. Results indicated members use MySpace to primarily satisfy play and interaction orientation dependencies. MySpace use was found to have a correlation with number of MySpace friends. "Number of friends created" in turn had a correlation with MySpace dependency, as people returned to interact with their friends. Individual factors were also found to be a source of influence in MySpace dependency. These individual factors were demographics, psychological factors related to use of the Internet, and psychological factors related to use of MySpace. Factors related to MySpace, extroversion and self-disclosure, were positively correlated with intensity of dependency. The influence of factors related to the Internet was partly supported; computer self-efficacy was not significantly related to MySpace dependency, while computer anxiety was significantly related to MySpace dependency. Speed of connection to the Internet and available time to use the Internet were not related to MySpace dependency. Additionally, significant differences were found between genders in overall dependency, extroversion, self-disclosure, computer anxiety, and computer self-efficacy. These findings provide evidence that MySpace members were little, if at all, constrained by factors related to use of the Internet, but were attracted to the websites for similar reasons as real-life relationships. Finally, MySpace is just one of the large number of online resources that are predominantly social, such as email, message boards, and online chat. This study found that through a "technology cluster" MySpace members use these other social innovations more frequently than non-members. However, members also used significantly more non-social innovations, which may indicate that MySpace members are part of a larger technology cluster than anticipated or perhaps are in the same category of innovation adopter.
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Date Issued
2006
Identifier
CFE0001451, ucf:47057
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001451
UNDERSTANDING NEWS MEDIA VIEWING AND SELECTION PATTERNS: FOMO AND USER CONSUMPTION OF NEWS CONTENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA INTERFACES
Title
UNDERSTANDING NEWS MEDIA VIEWING AND SELECTION PATTERNS: FOMO AND USER CONSUMPTION OF NEWS CONTENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA INTERFACES.
Creator
Christopher, Nicolette D, Bagley, George, Armato, Michael, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The current study employs a regional sample in order to investigate the phenomenon of fear-of-missing-out (FoMO), the awareness associated with the fear that other individuals are having a more pleasurable experience that one is not a part of. The current study uniquely examines the role that FoMO plays in viewing patterns associated with news content on social media interfaces. The 10-item scale created by Przybylski, Myrayama, DeHaan, and Gladwell in 2013 was used as a basis to discover the...
Show moreThe current study employs a regional sample in order to investigate the phenomenon of fear-of-missing-out (FoMO), the awareness associated with the fear that other individuals are having a more pleasurable experience that one is not a part of. The current study uniquely examines the role that FoMO plays in viewing patterns associated with news content on social media interfaces. The 10-item scale created by Przybylski, Myrayama, DeHaan, and Gladwell in 2013 was used as a basis to discover the degree of FoMO participants experience while online, while other questions of the survey serve to collect data about participants sociodemographic's, engagement with soft and hard news content, and overall social media usage. (Przybylski, Myrayama, DeHaan, Gladwell 2013). The objective is to demonstrate the influential effects that FoMO poses on media consumer viewing patterns and behaviors.
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Date Issued
2018
Identifier
CFH2000413, ucf:45763
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000413
Bending the Binary: Effects of Nonbinary Gender Media Representations on Disposition Formation and Media Enjoyment
Title
Bending the Binary: Effects of Nonbinary Gender Media Representations on Disposition Formation and Media Enjoyment.
Creator
Higley, Diana, Kinnally, William, Sandoval, Jennifer, Hanlon, Christine, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Today, the issue of gender plays a larger role in our social discussions than in the past. Over the last decade, new and groundbreaking television shows and movies that showcase gender nonconforming characters and plots that challenge traditional gender roles have become more common. The aim of the present study was to examine the potential effects of gender-neutral representations in media programming and particularly whether different representations of gender might influence audience...
Show moreToday, the issue of gender plays a larger role in our social discussions than in the past. Over the last decade, new and groundbreaking television shows and movies that showcase gender nonconforming characters and plots that challenge traditional gender roles have become more common. The aim of the present study was to examine the potential effects of gender-neutral representations in media programming and particularly whether different representations of gender might influence audience attitudes toward characters and overall enjoyment of the media. Affective Disposition Theory and Moral Foundations Theory were used as a framework for understanding people's perceptions of gender-neutral media characters. The project involved a pretest/posttest experimental method with random assignment of participants to one of three conditions. Participants completed a pretest including measures of moral modules and trait empathy among other characteristics during week one. The next week, they were assigned to read one of three versions of a dramatic plot synopsis in which the gender of the main character was male, female or ambiguous. After reading the assigned synopsis, participants reported their disposition toward the main character in the stimulus and their enjoyment of the synopsis. Results indicated that depictions of gender that don't activate traditional male and female gender schemas can have a negative influence on the participants' initial dispositions toward the character. The gender representation in the stimulus was not related to reported enjoyment of the plot. Intrinsic moral modules appeared to influence participants' dispositions toward the main character and their enjoyment. However, different modules were important to each of the different outcomes. Implications of the findings are discussed.
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Date Issued
2019
Identifier
CFE0007469, ucf:52676
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007469
CLAIMS OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY:AN EXAMINATION OF U.S. TELEVISION FOOD COMMERCIALS AND THE ADULT OBESITY ISSUE
Title
CLAIMS OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY:AN EXAMINATION OF U.S. TELEVISION FOOD COMMERCIALS AND THE ADULT OBESITY ISSUE.
Creator
Delgado, Cristina, DeLorme, Denise, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Obesity is one of the major public health issues in the United States, often regarded as part of a global crisis. Companies invest billions of dollars each year towards television advertising campaigns aimed at convincing audiences how their ground-breaking discovery 'battles the bulge' or somehow offers an increased health benefit. This study examined how advertisers presented health-related claims, including health and nutrient-content claims, in U.S. adult-targeted television food...
Show moreObesity is one of the major public health issues in the United States, often regarded as part of a global crisis. Companies invest billions of dollars each year towards television advertising campaigns aimed at convincing audiences how their ground-breaking discovery 'battles the bulge' or somehow offers an increased health benefit. This study examined how advertisers presented health-related claims, including health and nutrient-content claims, in U.S. adult-targeted television food commercials. The claims were compared to FTC, FDA, and USDA laws, regulations, and recommendations. A content analysis of food advertising was conducted of commercials from major and cable network programs broadcast during prime-time in the first quarter of 2009. The majority of claims match current regulations when compared to Federal references. The results show that Nutrient and Wellness claims were the most frequently cited. The type of benefit, Healthy Eating, emerged almost 3 times more than any other benefit type. This is also similar to those results which suggest advertisers' intentions were to promote overall wellness in their content delivery. As such, the Wellness Approach was identified and conceptualized, leading towards full development of a Wellness Effect theory. Implications and future research opportunities are discussed on both a theoretical and practical level.
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Date Issued
2009
Identifier
CFE0002565, ucf:48260
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002565