Critical discourses on contemporary digital cinema tend to be either overtly negative, framed within a rhetoric of loss or disenfranchisement, or unilaterally positive, celebrating the user agency and freedom digital technologies enable. Both these conceptual positions are unhelpful because they either focus on what contemporary digital cinema fails to do or what it should do, without examining more closely how it actually functions. What is needed is a third, neutral approach which takes both sides into consideration but is also aware of their limitations and weaknesses. This thesis takes as its impetus Giles Deleuze’s suggestion that, just like the cinemas of the movement-image and the time-image before it, contemporary digital cinema needs a basic will to art – a new aesthetic principle, a new function of the image, a new politics, a new representational potential distinct from those that have come before it. The aim of this thesis is therefore to establish this will to art and explore its ramifications for and manifestations in contemporary digital cinema. Taking into consideration a variety of filmic texts from the 1980s to the present day which prominently feature diegetically recorded footage, as well as amateur film-making practices from the home movies of the 1960s to the video clips now uploaded to online media sharing platforms, the increasing relevance of home media in the reception of contemporary digital cinema, and most crucially the process of convergence inherent in digital media, this thesis argues that the will to art of contemporary digital cinema is intimacy.

The goal of this research project was to develop a methodology for designers that assists and quantifies concept design decisions so designers can; enable increase user access; widen the user demographic of interactive digital media; and improve participation and competence with technolgy through play.

The emergence of online information-seekers harnessing the aggregated experiences of others to evaluate online information has coincided with deceptive entities exploiting this tool to bias judgments. One method through which deceit about user-generated content can occur is through single entities impersonating multiple, independent content providers to saturate content samples. Two studies are introduced to explore how idiosyncratic indicators, features co-occurring between content messages that implicate a higher probability of deceit, can be used as a criterion to identify content that is not independently authored. In Study 1, analyses of a pairwise comparison of hypothetical reviews revealed that ratings of content independence were significantly lower when review pairs co-occurred in the attributes, text, and usernames compared to being heterogenous. In a high-fidelity experiment, Study 2 assessed if the effect of idiosyncratic indicators on independence is increased in the presence of multiple indicators, if it is attenuated with a high number of reviews, and if it impacts factors relevant to the choice selection process. As expected, the findings of Study 1 were replicated in addition to further revealing that the presence of multiple idiosyncratic cues yielded lower independence ratings. An interaction effect with idiosyncratic indicators and high review number was observed such that the effect of the former on independence was attenuated when there were a high number of reviews to obscure the presence of these indicators.

This study looks into the intricacies of long-distance romantic relationships and the ways in which intimacy is created and nurtured with the help of technology and digital media platforms. It uses a methodological triangulation, combining quantitative content analysis with qualitative interviews, as tools to investigate the doings of couples who find themselves geographically challenged. The results point out to the fact that people adapt to these  circumstances and use technology as a third player of the relationship, creating and maintaining intimacy mainly through conversations and stepping away from the physical side of a romantic relationship.

[pt] O consumo de conteúdo jornalístico na Web aumenta a cada dia. No entanto, boa parte desse conteúdo ainda é produzido segundo paradigmas da mídia impressa. Paralelamente a isto, a Web Semântica ou Web 3.0, adiciona uma camada de inteligência à Web, onde computadores são capazes de extrair significados dos conteúdos acessados na Web, e consequentemente, processá-los. Neste trabalho foi definido e testado um modelo de publicação de conteúdo jornalístico apoiado pela Web Semântica. Foi desenvolvida uma ferramenta de apoio para produtores de conteúdo, com o objetivo de melhorar o processo de construção de narrativas jornalísticas para web, através da sugestão de padrões narrativos e de informações objetivas que dão suporte ao tipo de narrativa desejado. Um estudo de caso foi realizado para avaliar em ambiente real o modelo proposto. Um grupo de jornalistas usou a ferramenta desenvolvida, com aceitação unânime. / [en] The use of journalistic content on the web increases every day. However, much of the content is still produced according to the paradigms of print media. Parallel to this, the Semantic Web or Web 3.0, adds a layer of intelligence to the Web, where computers are able to extract meaning from the visited web content, and consequently, process them. This work defined and tested a model of publishing news content supported by the Semantic Web. It was developed a support tool for content producers, in order to improve the process of construction of news stories for the web, using the suggestion of narrative patterns and objective information that support the desired type of narrative. A case study was conducted to evaluate the proposed model in a real environment. A group of journalists used the developed tool, with unanimous acceptance.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Business Science))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Economic & Business Sciences, 2017 / With the contemporary diffusion of media technology, the majority of researchers have come to position the Internet as a political instrument that has the potential to stimulate consumer behaviour. The Internet has expanded persistently as a news source and digital technologies have become more accessible and abound with user generated content. These digital media backdrops afford a valuable opportunity to empirically examine the effects of digital media effects on consumer decision-making. It is therefore important to examine how consumer perceptions and attitudes towards voting impact their decision-making in order for political marketers or politicians to develop coherent strategies that offer a conducive environment sufficient to influence voting decision-making. Whereas previous studies on voting behaviour have merely explored voting behaviour in a global context, the current study investigates the effect of digital media exposure on perceptual and cognitive constructs within a Zimbabwean context. Moreover, few studies have explored this topic in a consumer behaviour context amongst the Zimbabwean constituency. This study aims to determine whether digital media exposure influences voter-consumers’ intention to vote in subsequent Zimbabwe presidential elections. In order to empirically test the effect of digital media exposure on perceived image of a political party (PI); perceived image of a presidential candidate (PPC); attitude towards voting (ATV) and voting intention (VI), a conceptual model premised on the reviewed political marketing literature was developed. The model proposed four distinct domains that drive voting intentions. In this conceptualised model, digital media exposure is the predictor variable, while perceived image of the presidential candidate, attitude towards voting, perceived image of the political party, are mediators and voting intention is the single outcome variable. By exploring the significance of digital media use on voter behaviour, this study contributes towards specific contextual knowledge on consumer behaviour and political marketing in developing countries particularly Zimbabwe. The present study is positioned in the positivist research methodology, and assumes a deductive approach within the quantitative paradigm to test the proposed hypotheses. This study uses stratified probability sampling to arrive at the required number of provinces for the study. Using quantitative methodologies based on the nature of the research questions, data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire from 305 eligible voters from selected Provinces and Districts in Zimbabwe selected through stratified probability sampling to arrive at the required number of provinces for the study.The measuring instrument was designed from existing scales, which were adapted to suit the present study. The data analysis ii | P a g e was done in SPSS 24 for demographic data analysis and AMOS 24 was used for the structural equation modelling and path modelling. The findings support all the hypotheses in a significant way except H1 and H5. Likewise, voter-consumers’ perception of the presidential candidate has an influence on the attitude towards voting and all latter perceptual and attitudinal variables have significant influence on voting intention. Important to note about the study findings is the fact that digital media exposure has a stronger effect on perceived image of the political party (H3) than attitude towards voting (H2). However, perceived image of the political party strongly influence attitude towards voting. Remarkably, the relationship between perceived image of the presidential candidate and attitude towards voting is robust. The findings indicate that digital media exposure can have a strong influence on voting intention through attitude towards voting. The contribution of this study is threefold: Firstly, by exploring the significance of digital media exposure on voting behaviour, this study adds to contextual knowledge on relationship marketing, political brand management and experiential marketing (the final stage of the mental brand responses), consumer marketing and specifically, political marketing. Secondly, as a growing body of literature explores the use of digital technology in political campaigning/marketing to create a competitive advantage, this study provides researchers with a broad understanding of this phenomenon among voting citizens in developing countries particularly Zimbabwe. Theoretically, it is positioned in political marketing and contributes to theoretical literature that focuses on consumer behaviour, branding and brand relationship. Lastly, by investigating digital media exposure and its influence on consumers’ voting intention, the findings provided political marketing practitioners with a better understanding of strategies that can be employed to influence citizens’ voting behaviour, through the use of digital media. The study thus submits that politicians ought to pay attention to both media agenda and brand image in order to build a positive attitude towards voting which significantly influences the intention to vote. In order to maximise voter ‘purchase’, marketers can implement strategies to encourage positive behaviour from voter-consumers and exploit multi-sensory experiences in order to influence voting intentions. The study makes a significant contribution to brand management literature and consumer behaviour literature by systematically exploring the impact of media exposure on brand image and attitude towards voting in Zimbabwe. The study demonstrates that political data can be used in consumer behaviour studies and provides a theoretical method for predicting voting intentions using voter behaviour in the form of voter perception of political parties and perceived image of a presidential candidate as well as attitude towards voting. The study further highlights the significance of using digital technologies and ingenuity to create a comparative advantage as well as a differential advantage. / MT 2018

The purpose of this mixed methods study was twofold. First, the study assessed whether Davis’ (1989) Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was useful in predicting instructional usage of the interactive whiteboard (IWB), as reported by K-8 teachers. Second, the study set out to understand what motivated those teachers to use the IWB for classroom instruction, and to further describe the ways in which they used them. Through surveying 155 teachers and 40 administrators of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) schools, the researcher used multiple regression and moderator analyses to examine whether the TAM model helped explain teachers’ reported teacher-centered and student-centered instructional IWB usage. The researcher followed this by oneon- one interviews with 5 of the teachers surveyed. With the data gathered from the interviews and open-ended items from the original surveys, an analysis using qualitative methods was performed. The results from the qualitative analysis were then used to help refine and explain the quantitative findings. The results of the study’s quantitative phase indicated two variables adapted from the TAM, teachers’ perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of the IWB, contributed to the prediction of teacher-centered instructional usage of the device. Further it was found that the perceived usefulness variable contributed to the prediction of student-centered instructional usage. Moderator analysis indicated the variable for teachers’ IWB technological pedagogical content knowledge, adapted from Mishra and Koehler’s (2006) technological pedagogical content knowledge framework, moderated the relationships between the variable perceived ease of use of the IWB and teacher and student-centered instructional usage respectively, as well as between the variable perceived usefulness of the IWB and teacher-centered instructional usage. The qualitative phase results revealed those teachers surveyed used their IWBs in a variety of ways for both teacher-centered and student-centered instruction. Teachers frequently reported they were motivated to use the device by its overall user-friendliness and its utility as an instructional tool. Central to the teachers’ discussion of its utility were ways in which the tool positively impacted the students during instruction. Specifically how it engaged students by attracting their attention, keeping them focused, and offering them a better way to learn. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Esta pesquisa foi desenvolvida com o objetivo de nos aprofundarmos nas questões que decorrentes do advento das mídias digitais, permeiam a fotografia atualmente. Para isso, tomamos como objeto de estudo o campo da fotografia publicitária, uma área que trabalho e expressão com imagens que tem sofrido significativas transformações. Os focos da pesquisa empírica são as a dinâmica de trabalho – criação e produção - dos fotógrafos publicitários, as mudanças tecnológicas na fotografia e a percepção e a recepção das questões estéticas inerentes à imagem. / This research was conducted to develop a broader comprehension of the transformations occurred within the area of photography after the advent of the digital media. In order to do so, we have chosen as our object of study the field of advertising photography, an area of work and expression through images that has suffered significant transformations. The focuses of the empirical research are the dynamics of work – creation and production – of advertising photographers, the technological transformations within photography and the perception and reception of aesthetical matters regarding the photographic image.

Discorre-se sobre as transformações na conceituação de design e nos modos de exposição do mesmo. A investigação tem início na segunda metade do século XIX, com destaque às relações estabelecidas na Exposição Universal de Londres, em 1851 entre a institucionalização do objeto industrial e a arquitetura. São tratadas as discussões entre forma e estilo, com a análise dos artefatos presentes nos pavilhões Art Déco e do Purismo mostrados na Exposição Internacional de Paris, em 1925, e os conceitos que embasam a musealização do design no MoMA, quando da formação, em 1932, do Departamento de Arquitetura e Design dessa instituição. Chega-se à atualidade pelo exame da espetaculização da cidade de Milão via objetos industriais e pelas discussões, que guiam a criação de museus dedicados ao tema e o surgimento da possibilidade de acessá-los via internet, de qualquer lugar e a qualquer hora. / This works discusses the changes of the concept of the design and about the ways it is displayed. The investigation begins on the second half of the 19th century highlighting the relations between the institutionalization of the industrial object and the architecture showed at the London Universal Exhibition in 1851. It is discussed the form and the style analyzing the objects at the Art Deco and Purism showed at the Paris International Exhibition in 1925 and the concepts that base the museum trend of the design at the MoMA when the Department of Architecture and Design was found in 1932. It gets at the present day by the spectacularization of the city of Milan via manufactured products and by discussion that guides the beginning of museums specialized in the theme and the possibilities of reaching its content anywhere, anytime by the net.

Com o surgimento das mídias eletrônicas e os processos de produção digital, sobretudo com o desenvolvimento dos programas de simulação espacial e de relacionamento social em realidade virtual e a crescente utilização do ciberespaço como território de suporte a estes fenômenos de existência imaterial, abriu-se vários caminhos em direção à transformação dos resultados únicos e previsíveis, contidos nos processos analógicos de produção, para um universo de exploração de resultados latentes, cuja potencialidade produtiva está na exploração da condição do inacabado, do transitório, do não plenamente definido e sua flexibilidade para ágil transformação. Esta nova condição sócio-digital, fez surgir situações exploratórias que testam os limites da ação produtiva do design e da arquitetura, onde o meio digital é base para a construção de objetos e espaços. A partir desta nova condição de produção de objetos e espaços sem objetivar a materialidade física, a ação produtiva se torna mais complexa, uma vez que os resultados são possibilidades ao invés de certezas e a ação de intervenção do usuário é parte determinante do resultado final e da percepção sobre estes. No mesmo tempo que traz relações complexa à condição produtiva, a imaterialidade dos resultados nos meios digitais permite, ao design e à arquitetura, explorar uma reserva de possibilidades direcionadas ao sensorium humano. Dentro contexto, esta tese se desenvolve centrada na hipótese de que, se é condição básica da arquitetura prover espaços que permitam, no mínimo, a ação humana em seu interior e a possibilidade de interação com os objetos ali presentes, a partir dos conceitos de espacialização e representação associados à produção arquitetônica, os espaços obtidos por meio da simulação em realidade virtual tornam-se potencializadores agentes de novos significados e o ciberspaço, mais um território a ser explorado pela arquitetura e pelo design. / With the advent of the electronic media and the processes of digital production, especially with the development of softwares for space simulation and social networking in virtual reality, and the growing use of cyberspace as a supporting territory for these phenomena of immaterial existence, multiple paths were open toward the transformation of the single and predictable results, contained in the analogical processes of production, to a whole of latent result exploitation, whose productive power is under the unfinished condition, the transitory, the undefined and its flexibility to an agile transformation. This new social-digital condition has brought exploring situations that test the limits of the productive action of design and architecture, where the digital environment is the basis for building objects and spaces. From this new condition of producing objects and spaces without aiming the physical materiality, the productive action becomes more complex, since the results are possibilities rather than certainties, and the user intervention is determinative for the final result and perception of those. At the same time it brings complex connections to the productive action, the immateriality of the result in the digital environment allows, in the fields of architecture and design, the exploitation of a range of possibilities for the human sensorium. Within this context, this thesis focuses on the assumption that, if providing spaces that allow, at least, the human action in its interior and the possibility of interaction with the existent objects is a basic condition of architecture, from the definitions of spatiality and representation related to the architectural production, the spaces obtained by simulations in virtual reality become powering agents of the new meanings and the cyberspace, another territory to be explored by the architecture and the design.