Internet Information and Communication Behavior during a Political Moment: The Iraq War, March 2003

This article explores the Internet as a resource for political information and communication in March 2003, when American troops were first sent to Iraq, offering us a unique setting of political context, information use, and technology. Employing a national survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life project. We examine the political information behavior of the Internet respondents through an exploratory factor analysis; analyze the effects of personal demographic attributes and political attitudes, traditional and new media use, and technology on online behavior through multiple regression analysis; and assess the online political information and communication behavior of supporters and dissenters of the Iraq War. The factor analysis suggests four factors: activism, support, information seeking, and communication. The regression analysis indicates that gender, political attitudes and beliefs, motivation, traditional media consumption, perceptions of bias in the media, and computer experience and use predict online political information behavior, although the effects of these variables differ for the four factors. The information and communication behavior of supporters and dissenters of the Iraq War differed significantly. We conclude with a brief discussion of the value of "interdisciplinary poaching" for advancing the study of Internet information practices

#weAreMaunaKea: celebrity involvement in a protest movement

This study examines the involvement of celebrities in Twitter hashtag networks formed in relation to the protest of the construction of a thirty-meter telescope on Mauna Kea, a volcanic mountaintop that is considered as the most sacred of all peaks in the Hawai'ian islands. A network of 4151 Twitter users who used the hashtag #WeAreMaunaKea is used to examine celebrity involvement. Three network metrics (eigenvector centrality, betweenness centrality, and PageRank) were used to examine the prominence of actors in the network. The results show that three celebrities (Nicole Scherzinger, Kelly Slater, and Keahu Kahuanui) have considerable centrality in the network. The results also indicate a positive correlation between in-degree (prestige), out-degree (engagement), and the three metrics. However, the number of followers did not correlate with the centrality of actors. Nicole Scherzinger, who had higher in-degree and out-degree than the others dominated the network in terms of all three metrics. In general, the results indicated that both prestige and engagement matter in celebrity influence

Internet Information and Communication Behavior during a Political Moment: The Iraq War, March 2003

This article explores the Internet as a resource for political information and communication in March 2003, when American troops were first sent to Iraq, offering us a unique setting of political context, information use, and technology. Employing a national survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life project. We examine the political information behavior of the Internet respondents through an exploratory factor analysis; analyze the effects of personal demographic attributes and political attitudes, traditional and new media use, and technology on online behavior through multiple regression analysis; and assess the online political information and communication behavior of supporters and dissenters of the Iraq War. The factor analysis suggests four factors: activism, support, information seeking, and communication. The regression analysis indicates that gender, political attitudes and beliefs, motivation, traditional media consumption, perceptions of bias in the media, and computer experience and use predict online political information behavior, although the effects of these variables differ for the four factors. The information and communication behavior of supporters and dissenters of the Iraq War differed significantly. We conclude with a brief discussion of the value of "interdisciplinary poaching" for advancing the study of Internet information practices

#BlackLivesMatter and #AliveWhileBlack : A study of topical orientation of hashtags and message content

This study examines content differences between Twitter hashtags that indicate different topical orientations related to issues of racial discrimination, police violence, and structural inequalities. Two datasets representing #BlackLivesMatter and #AliveWhileBlack were examined to explore how message content varies based on topical orientation. A random sample of 600 tweets from each hashtag were classified based on content categories identified in previous scholarly work on collective coping and social movements. Two topic models were developed to further examine content differences between the two hashtags in a larger corpus of tweets. Results show that differences in hashtags can indicate significant differences in the nature of messages embedded in tweets. A χ2 test revealed that distribution of tweets was differed between the two hashtags in six out of eight categories. Topic model analysis indicated that topics in the hashtag with activist/social movement orientation mainly related to issues/incidents that gained significant media attention

Advancing Learning in the Communication BA through ePortfolios

In 2018, the Communication program in the School of Communications conducted a program assessment of undergraduate senior capstone ePortfolios to evaluate the evidence of quality learning within the Communication major. The poster presents our assessment results and pre- and post- evaluation activities toward curriculum improvement

Program-Based Assessment of Capstone ePortfolios for a Communication BA Curriculum

This article details a case of using ePortfolios in the evaluation process and assessment of the Department of Communication at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. The program is guided by seven SLOs (student learning outcomes), which are demonstrable skills or abilities that students are expected to possess before receiving their degrees. The SLO framework was implemented in our department with the intent to promote effective learning through the application of a cohesive curriculum that was designed by faculty members. In 2013, we evaluated our program to assess its successes and shortfalls through ePortfolios as an assessment tool. The assessment findings noted gaps in our curriculum, along with a need to improve specific processes, such as better alignment of learning outcomes with the assessment rubric. Overall, we found that the ePortfolios and the assessment process in our senior capstone courses ensure the value of the curriculum over time and serve as agents for cultural change within the department

#weAreMaunaKea: celebrity involvement in a protest movement

This study examines the involvement of celebrities in Twitter hashtag networks formed in relation to the protest of the construction of a thirty-meter telescope on Mauna Kea, a volcanic mountaintop that is considered as the most sacred of all peaks in the Hawai'ian islands. A network of 4151 Twitter users who used the hashtag #WeAreMaunaKea is used to examine celebrity involvement. Three network metrics (eigenvector centrality, betweenness centrality, and PageRank) were used to examine the prominence of actors in the network. The results show that three celebrities (Nicole Scherzinger, Kelly Slater, and Keahu Kahuanui) have considerable centrality in the network. The results also indicate a positive correlation between in-degree (prestige), out-degree (engagement), and the three metrics. However, the number of followers did not correlate with the centrality of actors. Nicole Scherzinger, who had higher in-degree and out-degree than the others dominated the network in terms of all three metrics. In general, the results indicated that both prestige and engagement matter in celebrity influence

Internet Information and Communication Behavior during a Political Moment: The Iraq War, March 2003

This article explores the Internet as a resource for political information and communication in March 2003, when American troops were first sent to Iraq, offering us a unique setting of political context, information use, and technology. Employing a national survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life project. We examine the political information behavior of the Internet respondents through an exploratory factor analysis; analyze the effects of personal demographic attributes and political attitudes, traditional and new media use, and technology on online behavior through multiple regression analysis; and assess the online political information and communication behavior of supporters and dissenters of the Iraq War. The factor analysis suggests four factors: activism, support, information seeking, and communication. The regression analysis indicates that gender, political attitudes and beliefs, motivation, traditional media consumption, perceptions of bias in the media, and computer experience and use predict online political information behavior, although the effects of these variables differ for the four factors. The information and communication behavior of supporters and dissenters of the Iraq War differed significantly. We conclude with a brief discussion of the value of "interdisciplinary poaching" for advancing the study of Internet information practices

SOCIAL MEDIA KALEIDOSCOPE

This study investigates the case of Isa Shahmarli, an Azerbaijani LGBTQ activist, who committed suicide in January of 2014. Even though the subject of sexual minorities is taboo in conservative Azerbaijan (The Danish Institute of Human Rights, 2010), activist’s death was covered in the mass media and resulted in debate on the rights of the sexual minorities in Azerbaijan. This study analyzes the Facebook public page of the Azerbaijan Free LGBT Organization in response to the activist’s suicide