School of Arts and Letters Faculty Publications

Permanent link for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/2022/28102

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    Wellness and white power: a fantasy theme analysis of U.S. wellness influencer content and its utilization of white power discourse
    (Taylor and Francis, 2024-06-09) Zousa, Alexandra N.
    During the COVID-19 pandemic, wellness influencers used far-right ideologies to spread misinformation about health and wellness on social media. Extending the application of symbolic convergence theory (SCT) in this study, I argue that these influencers are an identifiable rhetorical community that utilize white power discourse to facilitate convergence. A fantasy theme analysis of Instagram posts reveals several important fantasy themes. They include mother-as-warrior, where mothers are situated as revolutionary agents against the state, paramilitary wellness, which highlights influencers’ calls for active resistance against health-related government mandates, and homeschooling and homesteading as both forms of resistance and idealized representations of a “well” life. These themes serve as the rhetorical foundations of this community and have several important implications for understanding the proliferation of white power rhetoric in online spaces, including the potential for violence.
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    The Younger, The TikToker: Investigating Social Media Ad Platforms for Young American and Chinese Users
    (Routledge, 2023-09-09) Choi, Yunmi; Shim, Sungwook; Jeon, Minhee
    With video-based social media platforms such as TikTok and Douyin gaining increasing popularity among young people, it is imperative for advertisers and social media practitioners to understand the role of these platforms before placing an advertisement. This experimental study examined four social media platforms (TikTok and Facebook for American users, and Douyin and WeChat for Chinese users) to analyze how young social media users perceive advertisements on each platform. The findings showed that social media users in the US are more critical of video advertisements on TikTok than on Facebook. In addition, the study found that American users are more generous than their Chinese counterparts while rating the personalities featured in advertised brands
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    Can high school educators bridge the gap?: Message construction as a process of anticipatory socialization for marginalized students’ transition to higher education.
    (American Psychological Association, 2022-08) Sousa, Alexandra
    Previous research has identified the important role high school educators play in the postsecondary advancement of racially marginalized students. However, research has yet to examine how educators construct messages to facilitate these students’ transition from high school to college. Therefore, this study explores how teachers make sense of factors impacting postsecondary advancement and, as a result, how they construct messages about higher education for diverse students. In-depth interviews with educators from three school districts in central Texas revealed several perceived factors, including the equalizing effect of SES across racial lines and a colorblind mentality towards student advancement. Educators constructed a variety of messages about higher education, including both generalized and individualized messages about the more pragmatic aspects of college (e.g. the application process, study habits, daily life), and motivational messages meant to encourage college decision-making. Based on these findings, I make suggestions for future research about higher education messaging for racially marginalized students.