GIF scholarship largely focuses on GIF use in online spaces such as Tumblr, but few studies explo... more GIF scholarship largely focuses on GIF use in online spaces such as Tumblr, but few studies explore the motivations of GIF users in other communicative contexts, like text messaging or messaging apps. Through employing a combination of Q methodology and uses and gratifications (U&G) theory, this study explores why individuals use GIFs in their everyday communication. Three groups of GIF users were identified in the analysis: (a) GIF enthusiasts, (b) searchers and (c) referentialists. Subsequently, the motivations, attitudes and opinions of each group for using GIFs were explored by supplementing the quantitative data with qualitative responses that emerged from interviews with the participants. Although each group had motivations for using GIFs that mirrored previous scholarship – communicative power, emotive quality, humor, technical affordances and cultural connection – an additional motivator (i.e., relationship maintenance) emerged. As GIF scholarship develops, the present study will provide a foundational understanding of GIFs from a user perspective rather than from studies that were drawn from online spaces.
With 60 per cent of American households reporting watching at least one Christmas movie between H... more With 60 per cent of American households reporting watching at least one Christmas movie between Halloween and New Year’s Day, the Hallmark Movie Channel has enjoyed a remarkable amount of success. In 2021, the Hallmark channel produced 41 new Christmas movies that drew a remarkable 85 million viewers. The purpose of this study was to identify the different perceptions, attitudes and beliefs of Hallmark Christmas movie fans, by using Q methodology, to determine why people love these movies so much. Our sample was selected from the attendees at the first-ever Christmas Con in 2019, sponsored, in part, by Hallmark. Participants in the study self-identified as true Hallmark Christmas movie fans who were then asked to sort through a group of statements based on the question: ‘Why I love Hallmark Christmas movies?’ The results revealed three factors or groups of like-minded thinkers, the Season’s Greeters, who are the Christmas enthusiasts who watch the movies as a way to celebrate the se...
Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies
GIF scholarship largely focuses on GIF use in online spaces such as Tumblr, but few studies explo... more GIF scholarship largely focuses on GIF use in online spaces such as Tumblr, but few studies explore the motivations of GIF users in other communicative contexts, like text messaging or messaging apps. Through employing a combination of Q methodology and uses and gratifications (U&G) theory, this study explores why individuals use GIFs in their everyday communication. Three groups of GIF users were identified in the analysis: (a) GIF enthusiasts, (b) searchers and (c) referentialists. Subsequently, the motivations, attitudes and opinions of each group for using GIFs were explored by supplementing the quantitative data with qualitative responses that emerged from interviews with the participants. Although each group had motivations for using GIFs that mirrored previous scholarship – communicative power, emotive quality, humor, technical affordances and cultural connection – an additional motivator (i.e., relationship maintenance) emerged. As GIF scholarship develops, the present study...
This study tests the process of deculturation as identified in adaptation theory. The context use... more This study tests the process of deculturation as identified in adaptation theory. The context used here is reentry into one’s previous culture. If the theoretical descriptions of deculturation are accurate, one would expect those who have adapted to another culture to experience issues of relearning upon return to the original culture. Subjects consisted of returned missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (afterward referred to as "LDS") who had spent 18 months or 2 years completely immersed in a foreign culture. Using an open-ended survey method, responses were coded and compared statistically. Results do not support deculturation, providing an argument for the sedimentation of cultural functioning.
For some, attending a horror movie is an agonizing experience that brings on nightmares and cause... more For some, attending a horror movie is an agonizing experience that brings on nightmares and causes physical and emotional pain, while others rush to theaters with enthusiastic anticipation for the thrill and excitement the horror movie will bring. Why the difference? The purpose of this study was to identify why horror fans are attracted to horror movies and to provide a better understanding as to why this movie genre captivates millions every year. Through the Q sorts of horror movie fans, three factors were identified, "adrenaline junkies," who represent the stereotypical sensation-seeker, "white knucklers," who get scared and have nightmares but love watching horror movies, and "detectives" who see horror movies as a intellectual experience where they try to figure out the plot. The results show that horror movies do attract a diverse audience and that fans are much more complex than the stereotypical thrill seeker.
Historical emergences of new communications technologies have had a dramatic impact on the struct... more Historical emergences of new communications technologies have had a dramatic impact on the structures of international contact. While these advances come in many forms, they all affect the ecology of international communications. Some forms of advances, such as the physical, are often overlooked and perhaps even trivialized. Advances like the stirrup and hay allowed increased movements, often in the form of conquests that brought disparate people and cultures into physical contact. Intellectual advancements such as the scientific method, mathematics like calculus and trigonometry, Copernicus’s heliocentrism, and Darwin’s theory of evolution bridged international boundaries through the formation and maintenance of international academic communities.
More research is needed to fully understand the way in which parents, particularly fathers, are p... more More research is needed to fully understand the way in which parents, particularly fathers, are portrayed in family films and the effects those portrayals might have. Viewers, particularly parents, need to understand how the material their children view presents reality and how it may shape their children's perspectives of the real world, particularly where the family unit and parenting role are concerned. By exploring these portrayals through the lens of Cultivation Theory, this study sought to answer this overarching question: How are fathers portrayed in family films as opposed to television? This quantitative study explores the top twenty films from the 1980s, the 1990s and the decade spanning 2004-2014 in order to ascertain this. Families within those films, particularly parents and most specifically fathers, are the primary subjects of study. Observations were made through content analysis. The findings show that fathers are portrayed more positively in family films than t...
The advent of social media has provided an arena where barriers to entry are low. Individuals may... more The advent of social media has provided an arena where barriers to entry are low. Individuals may persuade, question others and defend both their philosophies and their actions. This study examines the classic role of rhetorical criticism as it may apply in new media venues. A blog written by a public figure was examined through a synthesis of rhetorical criticism analyses derived from Ware and Linkugel, Vartabedian, and Downey. Four strategies and associated positioning in the practice of apologia were identified in selected blog posts, indicating the genre of apologia applies to social media apologies and extends the genre of apologia. Rhetorical criticism was found to be an effective tool in identifying rhetorical postures and strategies used in social media.
Virtually seductive qualities of identity sharing, content gratification, and ample social atmosp... more Virtually seductive qualities of identity sharing, content gratification, and ample social atmosphere have made Facebook the most popular social network, boasting 890 million daily users "Facebook Reports Fourth Quarter," 2015; Joinson, 2008; Orchard et al., 2014, Reinecke et al., 2014. Online social network studies largely overlook the individual, limiting the understanding of what exactly drives people to use, abuse, even become dependent on sites like Facebook. Based on the theory of uses and gratifications, Q methodology subjectively observes what draws users to Facebook, focusing specifically on Facebook user characteristics. Past studies neglect the existence of three of the four factor groups discovered in this study, making these effectually new discoveries for academia Alloway, Runac, Quershi, & Kemp, 2014; Cheung, Chieu & Lee, 2011; Sheldon, 2008, Tosun, 2012; Yang & Brown, 2013. These findings increase understanding of online usage, even addiction, and will help...
The purpose of this research is to understand how social media is affecting the identities of ind... more The purpose of this research is to understand how social media is affecting the identities of indigenous cultures. Using natives of Central America with ancestral roots in Africa as research subjects, this research explores how the Garifuna culture experiences social media and how these media influence cultural perceptions. Using a grounded theory approach, in-depth interviews were conducted in the United States and Honduras. The results of those interviews indicate that media can aid individuals within the Garifuna culture to reconcile their three identities (Black, Hispanic, and American) and thereby form a stronger sense of self. This research suggests that new media might create a type of triple consciousness within cultural perception.
The purpose of this article is to understand user perceptions of new media formats, in this case ... more The purpose of this article is to understand user perceptions of new media formats, in this case blogging. While much of the blog research identifies blogging in terms of blog types, this research identifies user perceptions of why they like to blog. By applying Q-methodology to the blogging process, this research asked bloggers to rank subjective statements of blogging. Factor analyses were then applied to the rankings, which provided three main user factors (perspectives) of blogging motivations: Memorians, Bonders, and Soap Boxers. These perspectives provide an alternative to traditional views of social media use and categories of subjective media experience.
For years the Disney Princesses have been at the top in box office tickets and their merchandisin... more For years the Disney Princesses have been at the top in box office tickets and their merchandising sales have reached into the billions. With this success there has been concern about the influence these princesses have on preadolescent girls' lives and their self-esteem. The purpose of this study was to ask preadolescent girls why there is such a strong attraction toward, adoration for, and devotion to the Disney Princesses. The study was conducted using Q methodology, a behavioral research approach that allows for the measurement of attitudes, opinions, and beliefs. The results produced four factors labeled The Virtuous, who looked at the princesses' positive personality attributes, The Royalists who liked the princesses because of their beauty, gowns, and royal status, The Dreamers who seemed to yearn for the princesses' lifestyle and creating a better life for themselves, and The Grrrls who liked the princesses who were confident and strong. Overall, this study indicates that preadolescent girls do not take the princesses at face value and recognized the actions and behaviors of the princesses first. They see beyond the physical attributes of the princesses and understand they do not have to be beautiful to be confident and kind to others.
Using Hall's essential work on encoding/decoding as a theoretical framework, this research analyz... more Using Hall's essential work on encoding/decoding as a theoretical framework, this research analyzes "snaps" posted during a two-week period on the Snapchat Story at Brigham Young University, a religious institution of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Further, college students, who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are creating negotiated religious readings of Snapchat and secular college culture as a response to a perceived hegemonic moral relativism. The results indicate three categories of snaps: a) Hegemonic platform usage with oppositional messages, b) Oppositional platform usage with negotiated messages, and c) Oppositional platform usage with modified hegemonic meanings of signifiers within the message. Minority cultures can use social media to enhance minority values and behaviors in ways not envisioned by mainstream social media use.
Over the years, disparities have continued to emerge about what factors influence children's view... more Over the years, disparities have continued to emerge about what factors influence children's views of older adults. The purpose of this study was to gain further understanding regarding youthful ideals of aging through an analysis of children's drawings. After completing their drawings, the children were interviewed to provide a better understanding and to give clarity of the drawn images. The sample included 141 children ages 8-12 from different Boys and Girls Clubs of America across the United States. Overall, the children produced a generally positive image (84.8%) with most drawing a family member who was happy, healthy, active, and with positive physical characteristics. Significant differences were found between the genders as the girls drew more positive images than the boys; however, no significant differences existed between children from different races and ages. With contrasting conclusions drawn from a wide spectrum of analyses, notions regarding children's views of aging and their attitudes towards older adults continue to be a popular area of research. Methodologies utilized in this field of study-such as individual and group interviewing (
Recently, there has been a growing interest in understanding the Mormon Church. While many approa... more Recently, there has been a growing interest in understanding the Mormon Church. While many approaches discuss contemporary Mormon culture, this article uses Fisher's narrative approach as a theoretical foundation for deconstructing 19th century Mormon culture through the use of its ballads. Specifically, this article investigates how Mormon and non-Mormon lyrical representations of violence influenced the beginnings of Mormon culture. Results demonstrate four Mormon cultural approaches to outside aggression. These approaches can be used to understand contemporary Mormon responses to actual or symbolic violence.
Abstract This research tests the theoretical concept of unlearning in the experiences of Peace Co... more Abstract This research tests the theoretical concept of unlearning in the experiences of Peace Corps volunteers. An open-ended interview method was used to identify two types of cultural experiences: 1) unlearning or deculturation; and 2) long-term cultural mindsets. The findings indicate that the subjects as a whole did not experience deculturation. They also identified a long-term cultural perspective. The results of this research argue for a re-examination of intercultural theories using the concept of deculturation.
This study examines how cultural sojourners who have adapted to their host culture and then retur... more This study examines how cultural sojourners who have adapted to their host culture and then returned to their original culture describe their adaptive communication. These descriptions were collected using an open-ended survey method which was designed to reveal communication experiences in 3 adaptive areas, (a) deculturation, (b) reentry, and (c) psychological adjustment. Results reveal that this group of cultural sojourners did not experience significant deculturation upon reentry into their home culture, but instead had very strong views about the integration of ''extracultural'' knowledge into overall cultural values regarding their communication.
GIF scholarship largely focuses on GIF use in online spaces such as Tumblr, but few studies explo... more GIF scholarship largely focuses on GIF use in online spaces such as Tumblr, but few studies explore the motivations of GIF users in other communicative contexts, like text messaging or messaging apps. Through employing a combination of Q methodology and uses and gratifications (U&G) theory, this study explores why individuals use GIFs in their everyday communication. Three groups of GIF users were identified in the analysis: (a) GIF enthusiasts, (b) searchers and (c) referentialists. Subsequently, the motivations, attitudes and opinions of each group for using GIFs were explored by supplementing the quantitative data with qualitative responses that emerged from interviews with the participants. Although each group had motivations for using GIFs that mirrored previous scholarship – communicative power, emotive quality, humor, technical affordances and cultural connection – an additional motivator (i.e., relationship maintenance) emerged. As GIF scholarship develops, the present study will provide a foundational understanding of GIFs from a user perspective rather than from studies that were drawn from online spaces.
With 60 per cent of American households reporting watching at least one Christmas movie between H... more With 60 per cent of American households reporting watching at least one Christmas movie between Halloween and New Year’s Day, the Hallmark Movie Channel has enjoyed a remarkable amount of success. In 2021, the Hallmark channel produced 41 new Christmas movies that drew a remarkable 85 million viewers. The purpose of this study was to identify the different perceptions, attitudes and beliefs of Hallmark Christmas movie fans, by using Q methodology, to determine why people love these movies so much. Our sample was selected from the attendees at the first-ever Christmas Con in 2019, sponsored, in part, by Hallmark. Participants in the study self-identified as true Hallmark Christmas movie fans who were then asked to sort through a group of statements based on the question: ‘Why I love Hallmark Christmas movies?’ The results revealed three factors or groups of like-minded thinkers, the Season’s Greeters, who are the Christmas enthusiasts who watch the movies as a way to celebrate the se...
Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies
GIF scholarship largely focuses on GIF use in online spaces such as Tumblr, but few studies explo... more GIF scholarship largely focuses on GIF use in online spaces such as Tumblr, but few studies explore the motivations of GIF users in other communicative contexts, like text messaging or messaging apps. Through employing a combination of Q methodology and uses and gratifications (U&G) theory, this study explores why individuals use GIFs in their everyday communication. Three groups of GIF users were identified in the analysis: (a) GIF enthusiasts, (b) searchers and (c) referentialists. Subsequently, the motivations, attitudes and opinions of each group for using GIFs were explored by supplementing the quantitative data with qualitative responses that emerged from interviews with the participants. Although each group had motivations for using GIFs that mirrored previous scholarship – communicative power, emotive quality, humor, technical affordances and cultural connection – an additional motivator (i.e., relationship maintenance) emerged. As GIF scholarship develops, the present study...
This study tests the process of deculturation as identified in adaptation theory. The context use... more This study tests the process of deculturation as identified in adaptation theory. The context used here is reentry into one’s previous culture. If the theoretical descriptions of deculturation are accurate, one would expect those who have adapted to another culture to experience issues of relearning upon return to the original culture. Subjects consisted of returned missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (afterward referred to as "LDS") who had spent 18 months or 2 years completely immersed in a foreign culture. Using an open-ended survey method, responses were coded and compared statistically. Results do not support deculturation, providing an argument for the sedimentation of cultural functioning.
For some, attending a horror movie is an agonizing experience that brings on nightmares and cause... more For some, attending a horror movie is an agonizing experience that brings on nightmares and causes physical and emotional pain, while others rush to theaters with enthusiastic anticipation for the thrill and excitement the horror movie will bring. Why the difference? The purpose of this study was to identify why horror fans are attracted to horror movies and to provide a better understanding as to why this movie genre captivates millions every year. Through the Q sorts of horror movie fans, three factors were identified, "adrenaline junkies," who represent the stereotypical sensation-seeker, "white knucklers," who get scared and have nightmares but love watching horror movies, and "detectives" who see horror movies as a intellectual experience where they try to figure out the plot. The results show that horror movies do attract a diverse audience and that fans are much more complex than the stereotypical thrill seeker.
Historical emergences of new communications technologies have had a dramatic impact on the struct... more Historical emergences of new communications technologies have had a dramatic impact on the structures of international contact. While these advances come in many forms, they all affect the ecology of international communications. Some forms of advances, such as the physical, are often overlooked and perhaps even trivialized. Advances like the stirrup and hay allowed increased movements, often in the form of conquests that brought disparate people and cultures into physical contact. Intellectual advancements such as the scientific method, mathematics like calculus and trigonometry, Copernicus’s heliocentrism, and Darwin’s theory of evolution bridged international boundaries through the formation and maintenance of international academic communities.
More research is needed to fully understand the way in which parents, particularly fathers, are p... more More research is needed to fully understand the way in which parents, particularly fathers, are portrayed in family films and the effects those portrayals might have. Viewers, particularly parents, need to understand how the material their children view presents reality and how it may shape their children's perspectives of the real world, particularly where the family unit and parenting role are concerned. By exploring these portrayals through the lens of Cultivation Theory, this study sought to answer this overarching question: How are fathers portrayed in family films as opposed to television? This quantitative study explores the top twenty films from the 1980s, the 1990s and the decade spanning 2004-2014 in order to ascertain this. Families within those films, particularly parents and most specifically fathers, are the primary subjects of study. Observations were made through content analysis. The findings show that fathers are portrayed more positively in family films than t...
The advent of social media has provided an arena where barriers to entry are low. Individuals may... more The advent of social media has provided an arena where barriers to entry are low. Individuals may persuade, question others and defend both their philosophies and their actions. This study examines the classic role of rhetorical criticism as it may apply in new media venues. A blog written by a public figure was examined through a synthesis of rhetorical criticism analyses derived from Ware and Linkugel, Vartabedian, and Downey. Four strategies and associated positioning in the practice of apologia were identified in selected blog posts, indicating the genre of apologia applies to social media apologies and extends the genre of apologia. Rhetorical criticism was found to be an effective tool in identifying rhetorical postures and strategies used in social media.
Virtually seductive qualities of identity sharing, content gratification, and ample social atmosp... more Virtually seductive qualities of identity sharing, content gratification, and ample social atmosphere have made Facebook the most popular social network, boasting 890 million daily users "Facebook Reports Fourth Quarter," 2015; Joinson, 2008; Orchard et al., 2014, Reinecke et al., 2014. Online social network studies largely overlook the individual, limiting the understanding of what exactly drives people to use, abuse, even become dependent on sites like Facebook. Based on the theory of uses and gratifications, Q methodology subjectively observes what draws users to Facebook, focusing specifically on Facebook user characteristics. Past studies neglect the existence of three of the four factor groups discovered in this study, making these effectually new discoveries for academia Alloway, Runac, Quershi, & Kemp, 2014; Cheung, Chieu & Lee, 2011; Sheldon, 2008, Tosun, 2012; Yang & Brown, 2013. These findings increase understanding of online usage, even addiction, and will help...
The purpose of this research is to understand how social media is affecting the identities of ind... more The purpose of this research is to understand how social media is affecting the identities of indigenous cultures. Using natives of Central America with ancestral roots in Africa as research subjects, this research explores how the Garifuna culture experiences social media and how these media influence cultural perceptions. Using a grounded theory approach, in-depth interviews were conducted in the United States and Honduras. The results of those interviews indicate that media can aid individuals within the Garifuna culture to reconcile their three identities (Black, Hispanic, and American) and thereby form a stronger sense of self. This research suggests that new media might create a type of triple consciousness within cultural perception.
The purpose of this article is to understand user perceptions of new media formats, in this case ... more The purpose of this article is to understand user perceptions of new media formats, in this case blogging. While much of the blog research identifies blogging in terms of blog types, this research identifies user perceptions of why they like to blog. By applying Q-methodology to the blogging process, this research asked bloggers to rank subjective statements of blogging. Factor analyses were then applied to the rankings, which provided three main user factors (perspectives) of blogging motivations: Memorians, Bonders, and Soap Boxers. These perspectives provide an alternative to traditional views of social media use and categories of subjective media experience.
For years the Disney Princesses have been at the top in box office tickets and their merchandisin... more For years the Disney Princesses have been at the top in box office tickets and their merchandising sales have reached into the billions. With this success there has been concern about the influence these princesses have on preadolescent girls' lives and their self-esteem. The purpose of this study was to ask preadolescent girls why there is such a strong attraction toward, adoration for, and devotion to the Disney Princesses. The study was conducted using Q methodology, a behavioral research approach that allows for the measurement of attitudes, opinions, and beliefs. The results produced four factors labeled The Virtuous, who looked at the princesses' positive personality attributes, The Royalists who liked the princesses because of their beauty, gowns, and royal status, The Dreamers who seemed to yearn for the princesses' lifestyle and creating a better life for themselves, and The Grrrls who liked the princesses who were confident and strong. Overall, this study indicates that preadolescent girls do not take the princesses at face value and recognized the actions and behaviors of the princesses first. They see beyond the physical attributes of the princesses and understand they do not have to be beautiful to be confident and kind to others.
Using Hall's essential work on encoding/decoding as a theoretical framework, this research analyz... more Using Hall's essential work on encoding/decoding as a theoretical framework, this research analyzes "snaps" posted during a two-week period on the Snapchat Story at Brigham Young University, a religious institution of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Further, college students, who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are creating negotiated religious readings of Snapchat and secular college culture as a response to a perceived hegemonic moral relativism. The results indicate three categories of snaps: a) Hegemonic platform usage with oppositional messages, b) Oppositional platform usage with negotiated messages, and c) Oppositional platform usage with modified hegemonic meanings of signifiers within the message. Minority cultures can use social media to enhance minority values and behaviors in ways not envisioned by mainstream social media use.
Over the years, disparities have continued to emerge about what factors influence children's view... more Over the years, disparities have continued to emerge about what factors influence children's views of older adults. The purpose of this study was to gain further understanding regarding youthful ideals of aging through an analysis of children's drawings. After completing their drawings, the children were interviewed to provide a better understanding and to give clarity of the drawn images. The sample included 141 children ages 8-12 from different Boys and Girls Clubs of America across the United States. Overall, the children produced a generally positive image (84.8%) with most drawing a family member who was happy, healthy, active, and with positive physical characteristics. Significant differences were found between the genders as the girls drew more positive images than the boys; however, no significant differences existed between children from different races and ages. With contrasting conclusions drawn from a wide spectrum of analyses, notions regarding children's views of aging and their attitudes towards older adults continue to be a popular area of research. Methodologies utilized in this field of study-such as individual and group interviewing (
Recently, there has been a growing interest in understanding the Mormon Church. While many approa... more Recently, there has been a growing interest in understanding the Mormon Church. While many approaches discuss contemporary Mormon culture, this article uses Fisher's narrative approach as a theoretical foundation for deconstructing 19th century Mormon culture through the use of its ballads. Specifically, this article investigates how Mormon and non-Mormon lyrical representations of violence influenced the beginnings of Mormon culture. Results demonstrate four Mormon cultural approaches to outside aggression. These approaches can be used to understand contemporary Mormon responses to actual or symbolic violence.
Abstract This research tests the theoretical concept of unlearning in the experiences of Peace Co... more Abstract This research tests the theoretical concept of unlearning in the experiences of Peace Corps volunteers. An open-ended interview method was used to identify two types of cultural experiences: 1) unlearning or deculturation; and 2) long-term cultural mindsets. The findings indicate that the subjects as a whole did not experience deculturation. They also identified a long-term cultural perspective. The results of this research argue for a re-examination of intercultural theories using the concept of deculturation.
This study examines how cultural sojourners who have adapted to their host culture and then retur... more This study examines how cultural sojourners who have adapted to their host culture and then returned to their original culture describe their adaptive communication. These descriptions were collected using an open-ended survey method which was designed to reveal communication experiences in 3 adaptive areas, (a) deculturation, (b) reentry, and (c) psychological adjustment. Results reveal that this group of cultural sojourners did not experience significant deculturation upon reentry into their home culture, but instead had very strong views about the integration of ''extracultural'' knowledge into overall cultural values regarding their communication.
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