Thesis advisor: Dominic Doyle / Thesis advisor: Theresa O'Keefe / Thesis (STL) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. School of Theology and Ministry. / Discipline: Sacred Theology.

Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life has been shown to decrease morbidity and mortality of women and infants. Organizations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF, 2018), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP, 2012), and the World Health Organization (WHO, 2017a) have universally endorsed exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, and then continuation of breastfeeding for a minimum of one to two years, with only supplementation of other liquid or solid food sources. Breastfeeding rates in the United States have not met the minimum goals set forth by Healthy People 2020 (n.d.). Although 81% of U.S. mothers initiated breastfeeding after the birth of their infant, only 22% of mothers were found to be exclusively breastfeeding at six months postpartum (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2016a). This prospective, longitudinal, structural equation modeling study examined millennial-aged, exclusively breastfeeding women within one month postpartum who were followers of at least one of 17 social media breastfeeding support groups. Relationships of the conceptual constructs within Pender’s (1996) revised health promotion model (RHPM); House’s (1981) dimensions of social support; and the added constructs of breastfeeding knowledge, breastfeeding confidence, and breastfeeding attitude were analyzed in an effort to better understand the variables that lead to sustained exclusive breastfeeding to six months. Data supported the use of the integrated model for breastfeeding women. The normed referenced chi-square (2) of 1.9 (CFI =.94, IFI =.94, NFI =.89, RMSEA =.06, CFI [PCFI] >.5) indicated a good model fit. Additionally, there were statistically significant gains in the confidence, knowledge, and attitude scores from pretest to follow-up at six months. Exclusive breastfeeding to six months was reported to be three times (66%) higher than the U.S. national average (22%) (CDC, 2016a). Future use of the integrated model has great potential to impact public health by the exploration of variables that promote exclusive breastfeeding to six months. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Social network sites are now ubiquitous and self-presentation on these sites is, for many people, a major part of everyday life. The sites provide a novel context for impression management in which presentations can be viewed simultaneously, 24 hours a day, by multiple audiences with heterogeneous expectations. The argument outlined here is that this situation can increase the chances of social anxiety and regulatory behaviour when these expectations are not met. Through four studies including two experiments, a survey and a collection of semi-structured interviews, this thesis examines the process by which users regulate their actions both on- and offline with respect to multiple audiences online. A model is created out of intrapsychic theories grounded on Carver and Scheier’s (2001) selfregulatory process, in order to explain impression management in this context. Research is split into two phases and addressing young users aged predominately aged from 18-24; the first aiming to provide support for different components within the model and the second, to test the process as a whole. Phase 1 finds strong support for the model by providing evidence, first for the assumptions underlying the multiple audience problem and second, that public self-focus increases when engaged with the technology. A third contribution of Phase 1 is its categorisation of preventive and reactive regulatory behaviours. Phase 2 supports the process in the model, showing that self-focus leads to comparison between what is presented and the standards of multiple audiences, resulting in self-regulation mediated by anxiety.

Orientador: Mauro de Souza Ventura / Banca: Laan Mendes de Barros / Banca: Alan César Belo Angeluci / Resumo: Com a popularização da internet, a maneira que a sociedade se organiza foi alterada, incluindo a facilidade - e a velocidade - com que acessam informações, a possibilidades de se relacionar com outros membros do público e a oportunidade de criar releituras dos textos originais. Com o objetivo de identificar como os fãs constituem uma esfera de consumo de mídia ativo, foi escolhido como objeto o fansite brasileiro Potterish dedicado a Harry Potter. Utilizando a análise de conteúdo como metodologia, este trabalho considera sua estrutura e os trabalhos de fãs apresentados na fansite, as publicações da seção de notícias no último trimestre de 2015, os textos da seção de colunas com interpretações sobre a obra publicados em 2014 e 2015 e a cobertura realizada nos perfis do Potterish no Twitter e no Facebook sobre o anúncio do lançamento em livro do roteiro da peça Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Este trabalho se apoia no referencial teórico produzido pelos estudos de fãs, com destaque aos autores Booth, Duffett, Fiske, Jenkins e Hills, além de autores que colaboram para a compreensão da sociedade contemporânea, como Thompson e Canclini. Os resultados da pesquisa mostraram que a estrutura do finsite representa principalmente os prazeres de performance de Duffett (2013), relacionados às atividades cuja proposta é experimentar o fandom, a seleção de notícia reúne informações em português sobre as novidades relacionadas à franquia, as colunas do Potterish se destacam pelas interpretações da historia não explícitas nos livros e a atividade do Potterish nas redes sociais apresenta coerência de linguagem e maior interação com os fãs do que o próprio site. O fansite se apresenta como um facilitador do acesso à informação para os fãs ao traduzir o que é publicado em outro idioma, compartilhar com os outros fãs e organizar de maneira que os usuário... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The popularization of the Internet changed the way society is organized, including the ease - and speed - to access information, the ability to relate to other members of the public and the opportunity to create new readings of the original texts. In order to identify how the fans are an active media consumption sphere, the Brazilian fan site Potterish dedicated to Harry Potter was chosen an the object of this research. Using the content analysis as a methodology, this paper considers the structure of Potterish and the fanworks presented on the fan site, the news section publications in the last quarter of 2015, the texts of the columns section with interpretations of the story published in 2014 and 2015 and coverage held on Potterish profiles on Twitter and Facebook about the announcement of the publising of the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. This work is based on the theoretical framework produced by fans studies, especially the authors Booth Duffet, Fiske, Hills and Jenkins, and the authors that contribute to the understanding of contemporary society, as Thompson and Canclini. Research results showed that the fan site structure mainly represents the pleasures of performance of Duffett (2013), related to the activities whose purpose is to experience the fandom, the news selection gathers information in Portuguese about what is new related to the franchise, the columns of the Potterish are highlighted by interpretations of the story that is not explicit in the books and the activity of Potterish on social networks websites shows language consistency and greater interaction with the fans than the site itself / Mestre

The desire for social connectedness affects the way consumers live and make decisions. While social media has expanded the size and reach of social networks, people paradoxically feel less connected with the friends and acquaintances they communicate with online. This occurs because compared to face-to-face communication, digital communication is relatively impoverished and lacks the same level of richness, immediacy, and feeling of presence. Although social media platforms have sought technological solutions to enrich interpersonal communication, I propose and find that without having to transmit more and richer content, virtual relationships can be managed and strengthened through different presentation format (i.e., ephemeral communication vs. permanent communication) and channels of communication (i.e., public messaging vs. private messaging). First, under settings that are disruptive to communication, ephemerality, which is the quality of transience and disappearance causes consumers become more immersed and in the (“present”) moment, which produces interrelated consequences of being present that are beneficial to virtual relationship management. Second, when their behaviors are publically observable, consumers strategically signal information about their relationship in order to strengthen their tie with close others. Although abundant research has focused on consumers’ individual behaviors on social media, an understanding of the antecedents and consequences of interpersonal behaviors is lacking. To fill this gap, my dissertation introduces and investigates the implications of virtual relationship management in social media.

The growth of networks in international development, accelerated by communications possibilities provided by new social media, offers the potential for richer access by local groups to information and ideas on which to base development activities. However, a long history of participation in development shows that information is often imparted in a top down way, vesting control and power in institutions external to the local groups who wish to make use of it. Frameworks for social learning such as Communities of Practice tend to focus on collaborative learning from experience, rather than such a 'top down' transmission of information, offering the possibility that they may enable horizontal learning between geographically distributed groups linked by social media. Through a three year co-operative enquiry within the newly established Global Network for Disaster Reduction, this action research investigates whether horizontal learning employing social media can enable this network to share learning and thereby support grassroots development. The research finds that the structure and relationships within such an internationally distributed network lead to a qualitatively different mode of learning framed as a Community of Praxis. It proposes that this framework can be further elaborated and applied within network contexts to encourage the possibility of a different emphasis in development.

This thesis reports on a study which investigated the application of social media in teaching Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB) in a University of Brunei. The aim was to complement the on-campus delivery of this module, encourage student engagement and produce more active than passive learners. However, tensions existed between social media and the content of the course because of the potential of social media to drown and influence Bruneian Malay cultures and Islamic beliefs in a way that is not consistent with MIB. A questionnaire to 362 undergraduate students at the University of Brunei Darussalam taking the PB1501 MIB module in the semester 1 2012/2013 provided an initial sense of social media use and expectations. Six MIB teachers were also selected to represent different perspective of using social media in MIB module. Furthermore, the observation of ten MIB Facebook groups spaces and content analysis of ten MIB Facebook groups' transcripts produced information on teaching and learning activities as well as findings as to how teachers facilitate student engagement. The findings of the study indicate that whilst social media is a tool that should be able to solve the pedagogical problems in the MIB course, at the same time cultural obstacles are perceived by some teachers in this particular setting, impacting on its acceptance. Findings suggest that the implementation of social media such as Facebook in order to solve a pedagogical problem have raised tensions in this specific cultural environment. The research also shows the MIB teachers have mixed feelings about the fact that social media could complement MIB education. A way of conceiving the tensions between these issues is provided by the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework developed by Koehler and Mishra (2009), which is used to understand teacher decisions with respect to MIB, MIB pedagogy and social media (TPACK). This shows the connections and interactions between the content of MIB, the MIB pedagogy and social media.

This study examines the way social media changes the way documentaries are developed, produced and distributed. I want investigate how web 2.0 technologies disrupt the documentary sector and the way producers navigate the social media ecology. Research exposed an industry in transformation. New roles, like the Producer for Marketing and Distribution (PMD), the Impact Producer (IP) and a participant-centric mode of documentary filmmaking are revealed. The way users connect via social media has changed the way people interact with each other at work. A balanced real- and virtual world network approach makes a strong and highly central network position for a documentary project possible. Emotional contagion and an authentic online presence create value for a films social media campaign. Both are crucial factors to the mobile multi-device audience expecting a credible social media experience. Research suggests that users accept the risks associated with the way their data is exploited by social networks as long as the user's social media experience is not diminished. The concept of the Global Digital Family is revealed when reappraising social media. I suggest further research into the problem of online authenticity. Kozinets' ideas on Gemeinschafts-type engagement (Kozinets, 2015) shed light on the phenomenon. But exactly when something is perceived as authentic online is still not entirely clear and should be investigated further. I also recommend that the PMD is formally accredited to encourage industry recognition.

Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) are a system of food provision which is considered as the embodiment of the Sustainable Development (SD) agenda. They typically operate counteractively to conventional food networks (CFNs) seeking to reconnect all members in the supply chain through ethical and sustainable engagements. They are grounded by the theoretical underpinnings of quality conventions (Murdoch, 2000; Thévenot, 2002) and embeddedness notions such as alterity, valorisation, and appropriation (Dansero & Puttilli, 2014; Kirwan, 2004). Many scholars have focused on exploring AFNs in various contexts, initially focusing on binary notions of dichotomy between AFNs and CFNs, then developing discourse in terms of assessing hybridity (Holloway et al., 2006; Maye, 2013; Ponte, 2016; Renting, Marsden, & Banks, 2003; Tregear, 2011). Recent studies have indicated the potential for further research concerning social media based AFNs (Bos & Owen, 2016; Reed & Keech, 2017; Wills & Arundel, 2017). Therefore a contribution in terms of further understanding this issue arises from this thesis. The research was conducted in the midst of the referendum for the UK to withdraw from the European Union, the subsequent ‘leave’ vote resulting in a level of uncertainty in terms of policy implications. One policy implication may be that the UK will have to readdress the way it engages and supports its food and agriculture sector post-Common Agricultural Policy, therefore this research comes at a timely juncture. This research adopts an interpretivistic epistemological stance, with a constructivist ontological position. Social network analysis (SNA) of Twitter connections was conducted in order to assess connectivity and density of the AFN that was present in Chester and its region. Content analysis of this network was then conducted in order to understand SD related terms and shortlist pertinent actors for further analysis. Interviews were conducted with nine actors from this network in order to critically evaluate their perceptions of SD from an online and offline perspective. The results of the SNA suggest that the AFN of Chester and its region was not particularly well connected in terms of density. However, the SNA was a useful data collection tool, especially concerning the replicability and transferability of participant selection strategy. Further results suggested that there was a need for more organisational structures to support AFNs in becoming more mainstream and collaborative. It was also clear that there was still a degree of opposition between CFNs and AFNs, despite hybridity. A final finding of the research is the consideration of smart localism. The implications of this research are discussed, along with suggestions for future research including; the need to better understand leadership, relations between AFNs and CFNs, the role played by intermediates, and the expansion of social media based research.

This study analyzes the use of social media by state legislative bodies, broken down by a combination of legislative body (House, Senate, or general legislature) and by party (Republican or Democrat). I analyzed Twitter and Facebook posts for each of these groups during the week of January 11-15, 2016, specifically looking for four improvements: transparency, policy making, public services, and knowledge management and cross-agency cooperation. The research questions are: RQ1: Which social media platforms are state legislatures using? RQ2: What improvements are the state legislatures using in their social media output? RQ3: Is there a significant difference in the improvements presented on Facebook and Twitter? The results revealed that 52.9% of 700 groups had created Twitter and Facebook accounts, with 55% of those accounts on Twitter. The analysis also showed that upcoming events are more common than expected on Twitter, and that posts asking for support on an issue are more common than expected on Facebook. This study is important because it relates to voting trends of the 18-24 age group in the United States. An overwhelming majority of this age group uses social media, but this group has very low voting rates. If governmental bodies can utilize social media to communicate with this population, then it is possible that they would be better informed and more motivated to vote and be civically engaged.