<p> At a time when technology seems increasingly poised to render the material realities of its users obsolete, putting the body back into digital media has become a matter of pressing social significance. Scholars like Lisa Nakamura have written compellingly about the importance of attending to the embodied identities of those who sit behind the screen: a crucial step toward disrupting the systems of inequality that characterize much of twenty-first-century Western digital culture. Similarly dedicated to issues of social justice, this project argues for turning attention to another essential element of the relationship between technology and the body: how digital media makes users feel. Far from being disembodied, digital tools have become crucial platforms for expressions of selfhood and desire. Yet, on a phenomenological level, virtual experiences also have a surprising capacity to directly affect the real, physical body. To demonstrate this, this project maps a network of key examples that illustrate how pain and pleasure&mdash;commonly imagined as the most embodied sensations&mdash;have in fact been brought to life through a range of media forms. </p><p> Beginning with the novels of the Marquis de Sade, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, and Pauline R&eacute;age, this project contends that concepts of sadomasochism and literature have evolved side by side for more than two centuries. Moving from textual to visual forms, the project turns to Pier Pasolini&rsquo;s <i> Sal&ograve;,</i> a film that notoriously &ldquo;hurts to watch,&rdquo; to investigate the intersection of violence, complicity, and viewership. Next, the project moves into the digital realm, offering a reading of the erotic power exchange that drives video-game interactivity. In the final chapter, the project explores digital BDSM: practices of bondage, discipline, sadism, and masochism that take place entirely in virtual spaces. Across these chapters, the project argues for the value of &ldquo;kink&rdquo; as a critical lens, much like the &ldquo;queerness&rdquo; in queer studies, which underscores the cultural and personal significance of experiences that hurt. Together, the works and cultures considered here bring much-needed attention to the place of non-normative desires in media, both digital and non-digital. They also serve to productively challenge the perceived divide between the &ldquo;virtual&rdquo; and the &ldquo;real.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Digital games are marketed, mass-produced, and consumed by an increasing number of people and the game industry is only expected to grow. In response, post-secondary institutions in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) have started to create game degree programs. Though curriculum theorists provide insight into the process of creating a new program, no formal research contextualizes curriculum planning for game degree programs. </p><p> The purpose of this research was to explore these processes when planning undergraduate game degree programs. The research methodology included an explanatory mixed-methods approach, using a quantitative survey of participants in the UK and the US, followed by an interview of several participants selected on the basis of their institution's demographics. The study provides insight into the curriculum planning process, including factors that influence the final program content, and a list of recommendations for educators, trade associations, and the games industry to improve game degree programs. </p>

<p> Based on the community of practice theory by Lave and Wenger this quantitative non-experimental study investigated the relationship between economic trust and sense of community of members who participate in virtual communities of practice to help them find answers to work related issues. The Classroom Community Scale and the Economic Trust Scale was the survey instrument utilized in this study. The participants in the study numbered 108 with their ages ranging from 18 to 65. Participants were working adults who currently used virtual community of practices for work related issues. The data collected in the study were analyzed using Pearson correlation and descriptive statistics. The results of the study found a significant correlation between economic trust and sense of community. The study also analyzed the two sub-constructs of sense of community, which are learning and connectedness to determine if a correlation existed with economic trust. The findings showed that learning was not significantly impacted by trust but connectedness was. </p>

<p> I conducted an ethnography of internet entrepreneurs building startups in Mexico. I selected this case as representative of how people engage in technology innovation in middle-income countries. The number of communities of internet entrepreneurs building startups in these countries is exploding, empowered by social media, cloud technologies, and new software frameworks and methodologies. However, while entrepreneurs in the main centers of innovation, such as Silicon Valley, have crucial social, cultural, economic, and material resources to build high-impact startups, these resources are often not present in middle-income countries. I define those resources as innovation infrastructures, stable and dependable resources necessary to systematically conduct technology innovation activities. Entrepreneurs in middle-income countries have a double challenge of excelling at their startups, and creating innovation infrastructures. Mexican entrepreneurs worked as a community to build innovation infrastructures such as technical and entrepreneurship interest groups, learning and networking events, and diverse social media applications to connect with local and global networks of innovation. Combining these infrastructures, this community set off key learning processes to build a stronger startup culture in their country. I used a participant-observer approach, following entrepreneurs across a variety of online and offline locales. To understand the practice of building innovation infrastructures, I helped organize events and spaces to promote the startup culture in Mexico. My findings contribute to understanding technology innovation activities in middle-income countries, explaining how innovation infrastructures initiate key learning processes to create a strong startup culture. The understanding of these infrastructures provides a solid empirical foundation for designing technologies, initiatives, and policies to cultivate new innovation communities in new places and contexts.</p>

<p> Astronomy is becoming a forgotten science, which is evident by its relatively low enrollment figures compared to biology, chemistry, and physics. A portable inflatable planetarium brings relevance back to astronomy and offers support to students and educators by simulating realistic astronomical environments. This study sought to determine if learning is improved in an inflatable planetarium by adhering to the design principles of the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML), specifically the coherence principle, in an authentic classroom. Two groups of 5^th grade students of similar ability were purposefully assigned using a 1-teacher-to-many-students format with mean lesson lengths of 34 minutes. The experimental group was differentiated with <i>seductive details</i>, defined as interesting but irrelevant facts that can distract learning. The control group (<i> n</i> = 28), with seductive details excluded, outperformed the experimental group (<i>n</i> = 28), validating the coherence principle and producing a Cohen's effect size of medium practical significance (<i>d</i> = 0.4). These findings suggest that CTML, when applied to planetarium instruction, does increase student learning and that seductive details do have a negative effect on learning. An adult training project was created to instruct educators on the benefits of CTML in astronomy education. This study leads to positive social change by highlighting astronomy education while providing educators with design principles of CTML in authentic settings to maximize learning, aid in the creation of digital media (astronomical simulations/instructional lessons for planetariums) and provide valuable training for owners of inflatable planetariums with the eventual goal of increasing student enrollment of astronomy courses at the local level.</p>

<p> This study examines the effects of humor within an instructional video on student learning and motivation. Humor in education has been shown to improve students' perception of the instructor and learning environment, with mixed results on gains in actual learning. Humor has been suggested as a strategy to gain and maintain attention, improving motivation to learn. With the dramatic increase of online multimedia instruction, research on the use of humor on multimedia instructional materials can help us determine if it can be used to improve learning and motivation. </p><p> In a pretest-posttest controlled design, students viewed a short multimedia instructional video. In the control group, students viewed a non-humorous video explaining three ways to cite sources in a research paper. In the experimental group, students viewed the same video with four humorous additions unrelated to instructional content. After watching the video, students in both groups took a learning and motivational assessment. Learning was assessed with questions related to recall and application. Motivation was measured using the Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS). </p><p> Results on learning assessments found that overall there was no significant difference between the pretest and posttest between the control and experimental groups, nor was there a significant difference between the control and experimental groups on the motivation assessment. </p><p> However, gender was added as a factor of comparison, results showed that males scored higher on knowledge items on the pretest / posttest gain and were more influenced by humor than females on comprehension and the overall gain scores. In motivation, males perceived the humorous video as more satisfying and were more influenced by the humor than females in perception of confidence in the instruction. Significant correlations were found between perception of humor, learning gains between the pretest and posttest, and perception of motivation overall and in each gender. </p><p> Previous research on instructional humor has found gender to be an important factor in the perception of instructional humor. Because the designer and producer of the instructional video was male, it may be that males who enjoyed the humor were more motivated by, and learned more from, the humorous instructional video. Care should be taken in using humor in instruction to ensure the type of humor is received well by students of either gender in the course.</p>

<p> How does digital media and online news, especially blogs, influence support for women congressional and presidential candidates? From work on traditional print and television news we know women are framed differently than men, and are more likely to be framed as women (appearance, clothing, mother or wife, marital status, sex, gendered issues). I argue the transition to digital media (blogs and online news) is exacerbating these trends, increasing gender stereotype opinions of women candidates in the mass public, among both men and women. In turn I find gender stereotype opinions combined with use of online media reduces the probability of voting for women candidates. While much of the literature on digital media focuses on the positives that come with increased political information, participation and mobilization, holding these factors constant, this research highlights a potential cost of digital media. </p><p> Media scholars are increasingly interested in digital media and citizen journalism, as more Americans now read their news online than read a print newspaper. Davis (2009) and Sunstein (2007) find that journalists too are increasingly turning to the blogs for ideas and content that run on mainstream media. While citizen journalism has many benefits (see Shirky 2010), there is less fact checking with online news, where rumors can often masquerade as truth. Analysis of the coverage of Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential run found that coverage of Clinton online, especially the blogs, was more sexist than mainstream media (Lawrence and Rose 2010; Richie 2013). Boystrum (2010), using content analysis, finds no gendered differences in the content of candidates' websites. Thus this research focuses on blogs and online news rather than candidate websites. </p><p> Rather than content analysis used in political communications or laboratory experiments often used in gender studies, this research relies on national survey data to measure the effect of digital media use for voting for women candidates in actual electoral campaigns. Combining large sample nationwide survey data of all congressional candidates running in 2008, 2010 and 2012, with a sample of Iowa caucus participants, and a unique national survey of primary voters, this research seeks to answer two primary questions. First, what is the effect of use of blog and online news on gendered stereotype opinion of women and male candidates (see Chapters 3 and 5)? Secondly, what is the combined effect of digital media use and gendered opinions in reducing support at the ballot box for women for the U.S. House or the president (see Chapters 4 and 6)? To consider the overall, or net effect, of digital media on support for women candidates, I incorporate the benefits of online news and communication to engage and mobilize the public. </p><p> Across many detailed analyses presented in this research, I find that reading blogs and online news generally increases the likelihood of forming opinions about women candidates colored by gender stereotypes, based on experience, knowledge, competency, integrity, strong leader, caring and more. In Chapter 3 I consider the case of Hillary Clinton and find that reading the news online and using online political information increased the belief that Clinton was less experienced, and was less trustworthy. In Chapter 4 I find that gender stereotype opinions and digital media use reduced favorability ratings of Clinton and Clinton compared to her male presidential contenders (Obama and Edwards). These two factors also reduced the probably of voting for her, holding other factors constant. Chapter 5 analyses all U.S. House races from 2008, 2010, and 2012 with a women candidate. Individuals who used online news or political blogs are more likely to believe the woman candidate is less competent, lacks integrity, and is less caring than the man candidate, holding other factors constant. Finally, the results from Chapter 6 show gendered opinions and digital media reduce the likelihood of voting for the woman candidate. The overall, or net effect, models show even the positive effect of online mobilization is outweighed by the negative effect of digital media combined with the believe in gender stereotypes. Such gendered opinions of women candidates are widely held by the mass public. </p><p> The dominant explanation for why Obama, as an underdog candidate won the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination was that he was able to mobilize and engage the public, especially the young, through online media. These online venues also significantly increased the money Obama raised through small dollar contributions (Redlawsk et al 2010). However, what these stories ignore is the negative media coverage of his primary opponent, Hillary Clinton, online. This study attempts to systematically and empirically document how the Internet and online news may contributed to reduced support for Clinton's candidacy and women congressional candidates more generally. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)</p>

<p>Cyber counterintelligence (CCI) could be the United States' best defense against Chinese cyber aggression of Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CIKR). The need to defend CIKR is essential to public safety and national defense. As technology evolves and continues to march towards the inevitable connectedness that brings systems in sync with one another, the United States becomes more vulnerable. Of the 16 total sector specific areas of United States&rsquo; assets, the Communications and Information Technology (IT) sectors are constantly under attack from threats both foreign and domestic. United States network defense claims billions of dollars invested in legacy protections such as traditional and next-generation firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, anti-virus, and web gateways, all of which no longer stop advanced malware or targeted Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). The purpose of this research was to examine the use of CCI in defending the United States&rsquo; Communications and IT sectors against Chinese cyber threats. Why is CCI important to CIKR defense? How does CCI fit into the United States Intelligence Community's (USIC) plan? What are some methodologies used to conduct CCI? What motives does China have for targeting critical infrastructure? The nation relies on the Intelligence Community (IC) to be the eyes and ears of national defense. Information warfare needs active counterintelligence (CI) to act as an offensive weapon, a tool for rooting out attackers. Through misdirection, deception, and denial, cybersecurity professionals and the IC can prevent the next disaster. CI by nature can be offensive and active and it can be the first line of defense meant to mark targets and prevent them from harming essential systems. Keywords: Cybersecurity, Professor Cynthia Gonnella, Cyber, Intelligence, Counterintelligence, Critical Infrastructure Key Resources, CIKR. </p>

<p> Video games represent the future of storytelling, changing the impact of cultural narratives in important ways through a process of learning and internalization of game content that alters players&rsquo; perceptions of self and reality. Continued rigorous research of interactive media is necessary because of the speed at which technology changes its capabilities and the dominant nature of its format&mdash;it is how many people will tell, hear, and experience stories, culture, and values in the coming years. This dissertation argues that a deeper understanding of how people play video games and what these play experiences mean must rely on interdisciplinary lenses of analysis that value player reports, programming choices, and cultural narratives equally. I establish a theoretical and methodological approach that defines elements of what it means to play video games, and study the qualitative influence of game-play on thought and behavior through pragmatic analysis of interview data. Samples of masculine discourses of game play in the United States provide a starting point for this exploration of video game impact through discussions of play theory, narratology, game programming and interaction with interactive media hardware.</p><p> Common social concerns regarding increased violence, aggression, or de-socialization as a result of this medium were not represented in the population presented in this dissertation. Players recognized the allure of the so-called negative aspects of video games, but ultimately expressed a decided disconnect between the real world and virtual experiences of play, describing cathartic and therapeutic reasons for their enjoyment of those elements. An interdisciplinary approach to video game research must be embraced, despite a constant call for quick, universal answers to their most common critiques. Foundational themes for understanding the influence of interactive digital play experiences on personal identity and ideology construction are demonstrated through thematic and sociolinguistic analyses of in-depth interview data. These include play theory, narratology, human-computer interaction theory, and player report data. I draw on the established theoretical backgrounds of these disciplines to suggest a new term, ergodic ontogeny, to describe this complex process of personal development resulting from influences of interactive digital media gaming that reach beyond play experiences.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--The University of Wisconsin - Madison, 2008. / Adviser: Lewis A. Friedland. Includes bibliographical references.