This thesis focuses on the intrinsic relationship between nostalgia and vernacular photography, with specific attention to the networked vernacular photograph. Through an examination of early Kodak advertising and current in-phone digital editing and smartphone photography-sharing apps, this paper demonstrates the role of constructed aesthetic nostalgia in contemporary vernacular photography. This research argues that contemporary vernacular photography is a product of contemporary nostalgia, as evidenced through photographs born digital and shared publicly via social media sites such as Instagram and Snapchat, among others.

The purpose of this study was to explore the ethics of social media use in rehabilitation counselor education programs. Program coordinators from 81 U.S. education programs accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) were solicited to complete a survey regarding the ethical dilemmas or problems they encountered with respect to social media used by graduate students, faculty, and administrative staff. Of the 81 program coordinators, 28(34.56%) completed the survey. The survey asked program coordinators to report whether their program, department, or university had a social media policy, as well as whether they had encountered any social media-related ethical dilemmas. Finally, the survey asked program coordinators about their ethical beliefs regarding the use of social media in rehabilitation counselor education. The results found that 13 (46.43%) of the program coordinators had encountered at least one ethical dilemma related to graduate students' misuse of social media in the past year. The most frequently cited dilemma was students' "befriending" of faculty members on social networking sites such as Facebook. An examination of the data revealed no association between the type of social media policy employed and the probability of reporting an ethical dilemma. Program coordinators reported that the ethical use of social media will continue to be a challenge in the future, and the results of the present study could thus be used by rehabilitation counseling educators to develop policies and practices to better promote and regulate the appropriate use of social media in rehabilitation education programs.

In the world we live in today, having a social media account such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Google+ has become deeply ingrained in our society. The old way of networking with who you knew or who knew your family is no longer in play for many people. In the times in which we live, much personal and professional networking is completed via social media. The old way of networking had unwritten rules of engagement which, basically, were to be respectful and not cause any embarrassment within the network. Rules for best practice engagement are still evolving for this new way of using social media for personal and professional networking, which is the premise for the current study which addresses: the gap in U.S. university social media policies, with regard to teaching and learning. In order to gauge the policy interlude, a sample of over 49 U.S. university social media policies were gathered for a comprehensive document analysis. The Google search engine was used to find the policies, next the qualitative software NVivo10 was used to procure and analyze the policies. Additionally, triangulation was performed by three member checking volunteer investigators. The results of the study, disclosed that current policies are intended to train faculty and staff, in the legal and proper manner, in which the universities expect their employees to positively represent the sampled universities.

Objective: The aim of this study was to (1) assess the orthodontic patient and practitioner use and preferences of social media, and (2) to investigate the potential benefit of social media in marketing and communication strategies in orthodontic practices. Material and Methods: A survey was distributed to all participants, which included orthodontists from the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) and patients/parents from the VCU Orthodontic Clinic and Private Practices throughout the United States. The participants were asked to answer questions related to their use of social media as well as their perceptions of usage of social media in the orthodontic practice. Results: 76% of orthodontists, 71% of the VCU Practice participants and 89% of the Private Practice participants used social media, with the highest preference for Facebook among all of the participants. Orthodontist’s posed information more often in the morning and afternoon (40% and 56%, respectively) and patients used social media mainly in the evening (76%). The most commonly used marketing strategies in the orthodontic practice were social media and a practice website (76% and 59%, respectively). Social media and practice websites were positively related to new patient starts (P=0.0376, P=0.0035, respectively). Newspapers were negatively related to new patient starts (P=0.0003). Conclusions: Social media use was more common in females and younger adults and facebook was the most commonly used social media site among all of the participants. Orthodontists posted information on social media websites mainly in the morning and afternoon, while patients spend more time on social media sites in the evening. Newspaper advertisements were negatively related to new patient starts. Facebook and Twitter were positively related to new patient starts when used as a marketing and communication tool in the orthodontic practice.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Stephanie A. Rolley / The public’s fascination for using tools to view the landscape dates as far back as mid-1600. The Claude Glass, while void of definitive origin, gained popularity among tourists and amateur artists as a way to replicate the picturesque landscape first embraced by French painter, Claude Lorrain. The iPad, in conjunction with the Instagram App, offers today’s viewer a similar experience with the modern convenience of saving and disseminating the views to the masses. While the repetitive nature of history only further solidifies the success of Instagram, the difference with today’s device lies in the ability to harness, inventory and analyze the data using an Application Programming Interface (API). Through a series of photos collected of the High Line in New York City over a seven-day period using the Instagram API Console, this study looks to answer the question, how can Instagram be used to gather user perceptions about the built environment? Working within the context of an adaptive process, the developer end of Instagram was proficiently mastered and a new tool was created as a means of conducting the research query. Both manual and automated processes were applied to expose commonalities and hidden patterns. While the ambitious undertaking revealed Instagram could be applied, the study opened up more questions concerning the viability of using a new tool capable of querying public images as a way to inform landscape architecture practitioners. As our world becomes more and more data centric, the design profession has the ability to tap into this relatively untouched resource as a means to gather information and shape the future of the built environment. This research offers a subjective analysis of passive images not capable of revealing the story behind the lens. Future research questioning the motivation behind the camera is needed to ground the idea of capturing perceptions through Instagram and move the ideas formulated in this study past theory.

Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) are using Social Media (SM) to promote their destinations, attract tourists and communicate with the destination stakeholders. This study sought to understand how DMOs use SM, how DMOs adopt SM, what the desired outcomes from SM use are and how SM outcomes are evaluated. Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory guided this study and a mixed-methods research design was used to address the research questions. The two major research questions were; Firstly, how do DMOs use SM? Secondly, what outcomes do DMOs hope will result from SM use? / May 2016

A common characteristic of the theoretical developments within the field of social media marketing is that activities to which consumers devote themselves in social media settings shift power from firms to consumers. Extant literature has therefore analysed the practices of consumers within social media and their potential implications for marketing. The current state of social media, however, suggests that these settings are undergoing a process of transformation. Although social media were initially characterised as non-commercial in nature, firms have started to manage interactions within these digital landscapes. From initially being characterised by its social base, this development implies that social media have become increasingly commercialised. The aim of this dissertation is to expand the literature on social media by describing the process through which they evolve from their initially social character to a commercial utility. More specifically, it seeks to develop a conceptual framework that captures the role of marketing processes that lead to the commercialisation of these spheres. This is done mainly through a netnographic study of the Swedish fashion blogosphere in order to explain how and why consumers and professionals interact, organise, create and appropriate commercial values in the fashion blogosphere. Drawing on theory of spheres, this dissertation proposes a sphereological understanding of social media that expands the role of marketing. It is suggested that social media may be understood as a collection of micro-spheres that, together, comprise a densely connected foam of spatiality and place. In these spheres, consumers, together with commercial actors, take part in practices that become increasingly commercial. In that sense, marketing takes the roles of navigating social media in search of symbolic meanings of value, and of affecting, negotiating and redefining atmospheres of places in the social media landscape. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense the following paper was unpublished and had the status as follows. Paper 2: Accepted.</p>

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Orientador: Juarez Tadeu de Paula Xavier / Banca: Dorival Campos Rossi / Banca: Katarini Giroldo Miguel / Resumo: Esta dissertação de mestrado busca discutir as mídias radicais enquanto espaços de desenvolvimento de narrativas em favor da vida e contra os discursos excludentes e violentos presentes nas mídias corporativas, a partir da definição de mídia radical desenvolvida por John Downing. Diante do domínio das narrativas de grupos dominantes presentes na mídia corporativa, é importante compreender a dinâmica dos espaços onde é possível desenvolver narrativas de enfrentamento a esses discursos a fim de trazer à esfera pública novas compreensões da realidade, em favor dos grupos sócio-acêntricos, formandos por mulheres, negros, indígenas e LGBTQ+s (Lésbicas, Gays, Bissexuais, Transexuais e Queers). Dessa compreensão, surgiu a proposta da pesquisa que resultou nesta dissertação. A pesquisa se deu sobre duas mídias radicais: a peça de teatro Bicho Transparente, com temática sobre violência contra mulheres; e o portal de notícias Jornal Dois, cuja proposta é produzir reportagens sobre temas relacionados à cidade de Bauru, a fim de promover reflexão acerca dos problemas relativos às desigualdades sociais, raciais e de gênero. A análise do conteúdo dessas mídias partiu de critérios desenvolvidos com base no conceito de bionarrativa, referente às narrativas em favor da vida e em oposição às necronarrativas, narrativas de justificativa da morte de sujeitos pertencentes aos grupos sócio-acêntricos. Os critérios são: aproximação, quando o construtor da narrativa realiza imersão no universo do fa... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This master thesis seeks to discuss the radical medias as spaces for development of narratives in favor of life and against the exclusionary and violent discourses present in the corporate media, from the definition of radical media developed by John Downing. In face of the dominant groups' narratives present in corporate media, it is important to understand the dynamics of spaces where it is possible to develop narratives to confront these discourses in order to bring new understandings about reality to the public sphere in favor of the socio-accentric groups, formed by women, blacks, indigenous people and LGBTQs (Lsbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Trangender and Queers). The research proposal that resulted in this dissertation emerged from that understanding. The research's analyses was based on two radical media: the play Bicho Transparente, about violence against women; and the news portal Jornal Dois, whose proposal is to bring reports about issues related to the city of Bauru, in depth with the proposal to promote reflection on the problems related to social, racial and gender inequalities. In order to analyze the content of these media, I developed criteria analysis based on the concept of bionarrativa, referring to the narratives in favor of life and in opposition to the necronarratives, narratives that justify death of subjects belonging to social minorities. The criteria are: approximation, when the narrative constructor performs immersion in the universe of the fact or situ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Thesis advisor: David DiPasquale / This paper examines the role that media plays in the state building strategy of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Research findings suggest that ISIS is not merely a disorderly group of militants, but is a sophisticated organization driven by powerful religious and political ideas. The goal of my research is to tap into the intellectual face of ISIS, to uncover ISIS's own arguments and state building aspirations. In order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of ISIS, this paper examines how ISIS spreads its message and analyzes the significance of that message as it relates to state formation. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Arts and Sciences Honors Program. / Discipline: Islamic Civilization and Societies.