The purpose of this mixed-methods study is to examine whether differences exist between the digital media promotion of marijuana policies by organizations based on their type (liberal, federal government, or conservative ). Concerns about illicit drug use in America are apparent when looking at the current discourse on marijuana policy. This discourse has been impacted by the media's construction of the drug problem and how that problem is defined by different sources. This messaging has the potential to impact societal views on crime, justice, and related policies. In the process of media persuasion, there are various organizations conveying divergent marijuana policies through strategic efforts utilizing digital media. These campaigns are instruments through which goals of enacting social change and influencing policy are pursued. This study is an exploratory investigation into how organizations are using digital media (specifically Internet websites) to promote marijuana policies. Constructivist inquiry was employed to provide knowledge about how the selected organizations included in the sample are using digital media to advance agendas (the goal of which is to influence support for different marijuana policies). Although similarities were found when the content analysis was conducted, there was divergence on most measures. Variation between the messaging strategies of organizations, based on their type, may impact who is the recipient of the organizations' messages, how they are received, and potentially how they influence future behaviors and policies.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:etd2020-1065 |
| Date | 01 January 2020 |
| Creators | Kampe, Kimberly |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020- |
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