The purpose of this study was (1) to examine rural residents’ perceived social support from Internet use for communication and (2) to understand the meanings associated with rural Internet users’ social media use, particularly with respect to mediating diverse social ties and exchanging different types of social support. To assess how Internet use affects rural residents’ sense of social support, this study investigated dynamic relationships between online communication and perceived social support by looking at interaction effects relative to extroversion, size of social networks, broadband use, and length of time using the Internet. To explore how social media are situated in a rural area, the present study investigated how rural residents use social network sites (SNSs) to maintain social contacts and exchange social support with members of their networks. / text

This study offers insight into international audience reception of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) communication. Swedish companies are currently reaching international audiences through a variety of social media channels and this study analyzes how audiences in Sweden and the U.S. respond to specific messages.   Qualitative interviews with professionals offer background information on how CSR is currently communicated while audience responses to CSR communication are gathered through a web-based survey and focus groups consisting of American and Swedish citizens.   Results indicate that the two countries have more similarities than differences. Americans have a slightly more positive outlook on the communication and they are more likely to look up information about CSR initiatives after hearing a corporate message. This might indicate a more profound interest. Cultural and social differences are given as a possible explanation for the key differences.

[pt] O crescimento dos acessos a Internet, o avanço das comunidades online e de outras formas de se relacionar virtualmente só tem aumentado no Brasil fazendo com que a rede de computadores faça parte de nossa rotina e também de nossa comunicação diária. A propaganda boca a boca sempre influenciou os consumidores desde que o comércio existiu. Perguntar a conhecidos sobre um produto sempre foi uma opção de receber boas indicações sobre compras. Com a criação da Internet, surgiu o boca a boca online (eWOM), que mudou um pouco essa dinâmica, agora apesar do consumidor não conhecer as pessoas que deixam seus comentários online este confia, mesmo assim, nas suas recomendações. Neste estudo analisam-se os vários tipos de canais de comunicação do boca a boca na Internet de maneira a procurar medir a confiança do consumidor eWOM. Usando de método similar procurou-se avaliar como os comportamentos de socialização e o desejo de ajudar os outros influencia ou não na produção de comentários no mundo virtual. O levantamento de dados para esta avaliação foi feito através de um questionário online respondidos por usuários da Internet. Com estes dados foi possível analisar a freqüência de contato com o eWOM e o quanto a confiança nele influência no comportamento de compra dos consumidores. / [en] Internet access is on the increase, online communities are developing at a high rate and other forms of virtual relationship are growing in Brazil, making the computer web a part of our daily routine and communication. The word-of-mouth as a form of advertisement has always influenced the consumers since the origins of commerce. Asking acquaintances about a product has invariably been a good option to receive good tips on shopping. With the creation of the Internet, the online word-of-mouth (eWOM) came along, changing this dynamics a little bit. Nowadays, despite not knowing who posts an online feedback, the consumer trusts it. In this study several types of online word of mouth communication channels were analyzed in search for a way to measure consumers trust in the eWOM. Using a similar method, socialization and the desire to help others were measured in order to know whether this behavior influences the production of online feedback. The data gathering for this evaluation was carried out through an online questionnaire, answered by Internet users. This data made it possible to analyze the frequency of eWOM exposition and how trusting in it influences the consumers shopping behaviour.

The media and crisis communication of a company operate according to different logics. The media are known to be more entertainment driven, while the company tries to remain trustworthy and publishes information only once it is confirmed. Does this difference in logic and in framing a crisis persist when the crisis occurs without any warning signs?Different crisis life-cycle models exist of which two of them are presented and discussed within this study. Additionally, media framing, media logic theory and crisis communication theory are further going to be clarified in order to identify if the difference in framing an extraordinary crisis persist.One of the addressed research questions aims to determine if there was a difference in covering the event between Germanwings and two German media, Bild and FOCUS online. The objective of the second research question is to discern if there was a frame-alignment between the two different types of media, Bild and FOCUS online.The results show that Bild and FOCUS online applied different frames while covering the event. While Bild merely focused on emotional stories and speculations over the cause of the accident, FOCUS online based their coverage on facts and statements. Furthermore, FOCUS online aligned their frames with Germanwings crisis reportage, whereas Bild merely covered according to the media logic theory.

Diploma thesis deals with the analysis of the communication mix of ice hockey club PSG Zlín. The theoretical part parses general terms of marketing communication and communication mix with a focus on online communication. The second part introduces the club, analyzes its marketing enviroment and its current communication mix again with the focus on online communication. The last part contains suggestions for its possible changes and improvements.

This diploma thesis focuses on strengthening the company’s competitiveness through the use of online marketing tools. On the basis of theoretical knowledge from specialized literature and analysis of the company’s current state, proposals contributing to the brand’s promotion with the help of selected online marketing tools (SEO, PPC, social networks) are developed.

This diploma thesis is focused on an analysis of the current state of online communication of faculty and formulation of the measures which are needed for strengthening of strategical use of online communication channels within the university.

This thesis focuses on early beginnings of a video conferencing platform Zoom, its development and enormous rise during the global pandemic of COVID-19 disease, and on its influence on users. It focuses particularly on millennials who are already familiar with this kind of technology. The aim of this work is primarily to determine the effects of Zoom, as a video conferencing platform, on user's activities because they were used to perform them in a physical contact with other people. However, due to restrictions resulting from epidemiological measures, participants were forced to move their activities to the online environment. The thesis focuses on answering these research questions: How do people's behaviour, perception of the situation and their self-presentation change when using Zoom in comparison to a face-to-face meeting? How have the activities of users changed while using Zoom, due to COVID-19, namely March to December 2020? How and for what reasons do users use Zoom? How do users perceive Zoom's affordances? In order to answer these questions, qualitative research was conducted using semi-structured in-depth interviews. These were attended by ten respondents who regularly use Zoom for a certain activity that was carried out in personal before the pandemic. Respondents were millennials,...

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This master’s thesis offers a contribution to the ongoing debate on the utilization of social media by a world leader. It focuses on the role of president Zelensky as a political leader and his online communication in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This study investigates the role of a diplomatic practice in an online environment. An abductive content analysis is used for this research. President Zelensky’s Twitter communication is divided into the categories of Political communication, Anti-Russia discourse and Leadership communication. Tweets of president Zelensky between February 24, 2022, and February 24, 2023, have been used as an empirical material employing the Twitter advanced search. The theoretical perspectives of Diplomacy and Media Ecology are therefore utilized to create an understanding of Zelensky’s communication. The results of the study reveal that president Zelensky incorporates in his Twitter communication different diplomatic concepts that are affected by the current Media Ecology, while traditional diplomatic negotiations are only reported on through his Twitter account, other aspects of modern diplomatic practices, namely Track II Diplomacy and Public Diplomacy are highlighted throughout the tweets.