The Elon Journal

This study examines how TikTok users responded to the Idaho college student murders, focusing on emotional expression, narrative construction, misinformation, and collective sensemaking. Guided by Media System Dependency (MSD) Theory, the research explores how individuals rely on social media for interpretation, emotional regulation, and understanding during crises. Qualitative thematic content analysis was conducted using 80 top comments drawn from four TikTok videos posted during key stages of the case, including the arraignment, trial start, sentencing, and the public release of evidence. The findings show that emotional reactions, including grief, anger, fear, and empathy, appeared consistently across all stages of the discussion. Users frequently constructed narratives, attempted to interpret case details, and debated legal developments, reflecting ongoing efforts to reduce uncertainty. Misinformation and rumor-based speculation were common during the early phase of the case, while later stages focused more on legal analysis and ethical considerations. Overall, TikTok served as a space for emotional processing and public discussion of violence, highlighting social media’s role in shaping collective understanding during crises.

Mentor: Daniel M. Haygood

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Television impacts millions of viewers and has transformed the media landscape, shaping societal behaviors and dynamics through content across genres. Archetypal themes in American drama television series from 1980 to 2025 impact societal attitudes towards Black women. This study investigated five American drama television series released between 1980 and 2025 to identify the representation of Black women characters. A qualitative content analysis was conducted by randomly selecting two episodes from five randomly generated American drama television shows from 1980 to 2025. Three themes were: (1) primary caretaker and emotional support system for others, (2) facing expectations of resilience and lack of vulnerability, and (3) a hyper focus on career causing social and emotional isolation. Findings suggest series before 2000 have more negative portrayals of the Strong Black Woman archetype, while modern television series embrace the archetype in a way that redefines its original meaning, giving characters complexity and depth.

Mentor: Daniel M. Haygood

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TikTok is a quickly growing social media platform that attracts many young women, who make up over half of the app’s users. Although often used for entertainment, TikTok content can influence users’ behaviors and self-perceptions. This study explored how women ages 18 to 25 perceive the “clean girl aesthetic” on TikTok and how it affects their well-being, self-esteem, and lifestyle choices. Eight participants took part in semi-structured interviews to share experiences with this trend. Findings indicate that participants view this aesthetic as highly curated and idealized, promoting a seemingly “simple” lifestyle that feels unrealistic. Guided by Social Comparison Theory, analysis revealed that exposure to this content often evoked negative feelings when participants compared themselves to influencers. Despite this, participants reported feeling motivated to adopt aspects of the aesthetic to improve themselves. This study highlights the influence TikTok’s “clean girl aesthetic” has on young women’s self-perception and behaviors.

Mentor: Daniel M. Haygood

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The most influential and popular movie franchises of our time—Star Wars, Harry Potter, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe—owe much of their success to their merchandising campaigns. Applying theories of communication and brand community to fandom studies, this research examines how the visual designs of pop culture merchandise use psychological and rhetorical strategies to create long-term identification with consumers. Quantitative content analysis was used to identify the visual and typographical elements of 135 official and unofficial apparel designs and categorize them based on rhetorical strategies. Results suggest that these popular film franchises borrow principles from sports merchandising to create team identification with in-universe categories (including Jedi and Sith, Hogwarts Houses, and superhero teams); however, the appearance of neutrality may carry an implicit division. The data suggests that the strategies of fan-made merchandise may differ in their attempt to create a sense of authenticity and capture their audience’s multifaceted identities.

Mentor: Daniel M. Haygood

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Cruise excursions are an important factor in passengers choosing a cruise vacation, shaping how travelers interact with port communities and understand global identities. This study examines how three cruise lines – Carnival Cruise Line (CCL), MSC Cruises, and Royal Caribbean International (RCI) – frame port communities through excursion descriptions across nine ports in Alaska, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean. Using a mixed-methods design, the study identifies how many excursions are marketed as cultural or historical using DEI-related website filters, then qualitatively analyzes the top five excursion descriptions per port. The findings reveal selective framing of destinations that often results in limited DEI representation, contributing insight into an understudied facet of cruise tourism and diverse cultural identities.

Mentor: Jane O’Boyle

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Few reality television moments have captured public attention as intently as Scandoval, the cheating scandal that transformed Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules into a cultural symbol. This study examined how Bravo framed Ariana Madix’s emotional responses during Scandoval, how fans amplified her narrative on TikTok, and how these dynamics reflect the broader commodification of women in reality television. Using qualitative discourse analysis, this research analyzed Season 10 episodes of Vanderpump Rules alongside a purposive sample of TikTok videos posted between March and July 2023. Findings revealed that perceptions of authenticity appeared most frequently across both datasets, positioning Ariana’s emotional transparency as the central narrative anchor. Bravo’s editing and confessional structure framed her as a moral heroine, while TikTok users extended this framing through supportive commentary, reenactments, and speculation. Ariana’s post-scandal commercial success further illustrates the blurred division between emotional storytelling and marketable branding, demonstrating how institutional framing and participatory fan discourse elevated Scandoval into a commercially and culturally significant event.

Mentor: Dan Haygood

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In contemporary Western media, the marginality of trans representation often sensationalizes and “oddifies” characters for cisgender audiences and leaves contemporary trans audiences searching for authenticity. For modern youth audiences, media representation often uplifts cisgender normativity, alienating trans youth. However, contemporary queer and trans showrunners have challenged that status quo. This article analyzes four contemporary animated TV shows in the United States (Dead End: Paranormal Park, The Owl House, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and Steven Universe Future) for trans characters’ narrative role, the centrality of transness, and the visual legibility articulated by trans characters’ designs. However, the research discourages universal application of this analysis on further trans representation and instead embraces plurality as backed by transgender studies’ scholars. The research also encourages readers to challenge complacency regarding harmful representation as content consumers. Future investigations call for a holistic international comparison that decenters Western gender constructs.

Mentor: Jessalynn Strauss

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This study examines the TikTok meme trend centered on the phrase “2016 was the best year” to analyze how Gen Z expresses nostalgia, emotional memory, and generational identity through digital culture. Using a qualitative content analysis of 100 videos tagged with nostalgic references to 2016, the research identifies recurring emotional tones, cultural touchpoints, and generational boundary markers. Findings show that users frame 2016 as a cultural peak through sentimental longing, humorous exaggeration, and territorial claims of insider knowledge. Viral challenges, mobile games, and platforms such as Pokémon Go, the Mannequin Challenge, and Musical.ly functioned as shared cultural artifacts that reinforced collective memory. The analysis also reveals that nostalgia for 2016 extends beyond pop culture, intersecting with politics, conspiracy theories, and disappointment with the present. Overall, this study demonstrates that memes operate as cultural heritage practices, preserving and reshaping collective identity while offering insight into how Gen Z negotiates belonging and meaning in digital spaces.

Mentor: Laura Lacy

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