This semester's edition marks the 16th in the history of the Elon Journal, the nation’s first and only undergraduate research journal in communications.
The School of Communications has published the fall 2017 issue of the Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, featuring student research on topics ranging from an investigation of print media’s portrayal of the opioid epidemic to a content analysis of President Donald Trump’s tweeting habits.
The issue contains 12 research papers authored by School of Communications students. The research studies highlight a diverse set of media subjects, such as legacy media, social media, graphic design, television programming and the integration of advanced technology into social media application design.
Four articles examined print media and social media content, including a deep dive into how two major Greek newspapers framed their respective coverage of the 2015 financial bailout referendum.
Two other articles critiqued the content of TV programs, with one author examining the relationship between American sitcoms like “Seinfeld” and the recent rise in Marxist/socialist values among the millennial generation. The second article analyzed six TV shows to determine the prevalence and frequency of negative bipolar disorder stereotypes in 21st century television.
Four additional papers dealt with the effects of media content on consumers, such as the influence of the Kardashian-Jenner family on fourth-wave feminism. Other related topics included an investigation of social media influencer marketing, the use of Tasty videos in integrated advertising, and a content analysis of NFL team online branding.
The final two papers analyzed the food packaging of two popular breakfast food categories — granola bars and cereal – as well as how evolving technologies will impact the user experience (UX) of social media applications.
Accompanying the online articles are video introductions by the authors, who explain their research methods and their interest in the topics they chose to study.
Byung Lee, associate professor in the School of Communications, serves as the journal’s editor. He assembled an editorial board of 28 communications faculty members who participated in the multiple blind-review process to select the best student work.
The Elon Journal began in spring 2010, with spring and fall editions each year. The fall 2017 journal marks the 16th edition.
“These students who had their papers accepted for publication in this issue should be congratulated for writing excellent research papers within a short period of time,” Lee writes in his editor’s note. “Of course, as they acknowledged, it would not be possible without the guidance of their mentors and reviewers. I hope the articles in this issue will inspire students in future semesters to commit to examining essential research questions and submit their papers to this journal.”
The Council on Undergraduate Research catalogs more than 200 student research journals in the nation, and the Elon Journal is the only one that focuses on undergraduate student research in journalism, media and communications.