Suchergebnisse

Media, Millennials, and Politics scrutinizes the media's narration and coverage of political participation of the millennial generation in the 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014 elections and identifies the primarily negative discourses that have shaped the relationship between millennials, politics, and journalistic media.

The Charles Mather work incentive posters of the 1920s promoted the philosophy of scientific management that just ten years earlier the US Congress deemed reductionist and dehumanizing. In a time where the rise of middle management and the growing faith in the powers of capitalism were omnipresent, the posters and rhetoric of scientific management made great sense to those in control of big business. Mather's 78 work posters hung in offices and factories all over the country, and describe what it meant to be efficient, productive and a good member of business society in the 1920s. As a medium, Mather's posters served to create and reinforce workplace practices of managers and leaders that would advance 1920s corporation and society. As propaganda, the posters appealed to worker's attitudes, behaviours, emotions and sense of social belonging. This study evaluates the rhetoric and themes of Mather's 71 posters in the 1926–27 catalogue (the most popular year for the posters). It finds that in a propaganda-like manner, the posters encourage and discourage workplace behaviours that support management at the expense of workers' thoughts and self-protection in the form of unionism. Further, as Mather worked to create posters that would influence the workplace ecology, his posters dissolved into the environment. The rhetoric used within the posters became adopted by organization leaders and employees, thus facilitating the linguistic transition of 1920s corporate society. An evaluation of these posters lends insight into the history of motivational posters and signs within organizational culture. Today, newer motivational posters are hung in offices around the world, with similar intentions to those of Mather. Because Mather's posters signify the beginning of motivational posters in the modern western organization, studying the originals could help describe transitions in corporate culture.

Many scholars discuss the role of social media in the context of social movements, but there remain major disagreements regarding the precise role that social media plays. One area that deserves more in-depth study is the affordances of social media for constructing collective identity. This article examines the case of an Iranian women's rights campaign page on Facebook, "My Stealthy Freedom," using an analysis of textual and visual content. The article examines how online campaign pages on Facebook contribute to the formation of collective identity and the construction of a campaign narrative. Following the analysis, the authors discuss how photobiographic campaigns—social media users sharing personal photos and adjoining personal narratives in support of a cause—illustrate two affordances of social media for construction of collective identity: affordances for discourse and affordances for performance. Affordances for discourse contribute to the collective action framing process through sharing of grievances and collectively negotiating meaning. These affordances also contribute to a collectively and incrementally constructed narrative by sharing personal stories that resonate with the group. Affordances for performance focus on the enactment of protest through transgressive photobiographies deliberately staged to convey the movement message to broader audiences. Here, transgressive photobiographies are defined as modular performances that can be adopted for the repertoires of contentious politics through protesting of laws and norms, such as the mandatory hijab. These transgressive performances create group solidarity through engagement in risk, thereby contributing to the formation of group identities.

In the months after the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) 2017 decision to repeal network neutrality as US policy, it is easy to forget the decades of public, organizational, media and governmental struggle to control digital policy and open access to the internet. Using dialogic communication tactics, the public, governmental actors and organizations impacted the ruling through YouTube comments, the FCC online system and social network communities. Network neutrality, which requires that all digital sites can be accessed with equal speed and ability, is an important example of how dialogic communication facilitates public engagement in policy debates. However, the practice and ability of the public, organizations and media to engage in dialogic communication are also greatly impacted by the FCC's decision. This book reflects on decades of global engagement in the network neutrality debate and the evolution of dialogic communication techniques used to shape one of the most relevant and critical digital policies in history.

Objective To characterize the effect of handrail height and age on trunk and shoulder kinematics, and concomitant handrail forces, on balance recovery reactions during gait. Background Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury in adults in North America. Handrails can significantly enhance balance recovery and help individuals to avoid falls, provided that their design allows users across the lifespan to reach and grasp the rail after balance loss, and control their trunk by applying hand-contact forces to the rail. However, the effect of handrail height and age on trunk and shoulder kinematics when recovering from perturbations during gait is unknown. Method Fourteen younger and 13 older adults experienced balance loss (sudden platform translations) while walking beside a height-adjustable handrail. Handrail height was varied from 30 to 44 inches (76 to 112 cm). Trunk and shoulder kinematics were measured via 3D motion capture; applied handrail forces were collected from load cells mounted to the rail. Results As handrail height increased (up to 42 inches/107 cm), peak trunk angular displacement and velocity generally decreased, while shoulder elevation angles during reaching and peak handrail forces did not differ significantly between 36 and 42 inches (91 and 107 cm). Age was associated with reduced peak trunk angular displacements, but did not affect applied handrail forces. Conclusion Higher handrails (up to 42 inches) may be advantageous for trunk control when recovering from destabilizations during gait. Application Our results can inform building codes, workplace safety standards, and accessibility standards, for safer handrail design.

Objective To determine the effect of handrail cross-section on the speed and quality of reach-to-grasp movements following balance loss in younger and older adults. Background Grasping a handrail is a common strategy for balance recovery. For handrails to be effective, the design must enable fast and accurate reactive grasping. Little is known about the effect of handrail cross-section on the timing or quality of the reach-to-grasp movement following balance loss. Methods Twenty-four younger and 16 older adults experienced incrementally increasing magnitudes of perturbations in the forward and backward direction until they were no longer able to recover balance. We analyzed the last trial where the participant could recover using only the handrail, without stepping or relying on the harness, the maximum withstood perturbation (MWP). Seven handrail cross-sections were tested. Results Handrail cross-section did not affect the speed or timing of the reach-to-grasp reaction for younger or older adults. However, handrail cross-section affected the MWP, the grip types used, and the likelihood of making an error or adjustment when grasping. The greatest MWP and fewest errors occurred with 1.5" round handrails. Conclusion The absence of common strategies for accurately grasping complex shapes (reaching more slowly), combined with the higher frequency of errors with larger handrails, suggests that both older and younger adults prioritized quickly reaching the handrail over prehension during reach-to-grasp balance reactions. Application This work provides new insights on the effect of age and handrail cross-sectional design on reach-to-grasp reactions to recover balance, which can inform safer handrail design standards.

Objective This study evaluated the hazard (risk of unrecovered balance loss and hazardous fall) and strategies associated with grab bar use, compared to no grab bar use, during unexpected balance loss initiated whilst exiting a bathtub. Background While independent bathing is critical for maintaining self-sufficiency, injurious falls during bathing transfer tasks are common. Grab bars are recommended to support bathing tasks, but no evidence exists regarding fall prevention efficacy. Method Sixty-three adults completed a hazardous bathtub transfer task, experiencing an unpredictable external balance perturbation while stepping from a slippery bathtub to a dry surface. Thirty-two were provided a grab bar, while 31 had no grab bar available. Slips and grab bar use were recorded via four video cameras. Slip occurrence and strategy were identified by two independent video coders. Results Participants who had a grab bar were 75.8% more likely to recover their balance during the task than those who did not have a grab bar. Successful grab bar grasp was associated with balance recovery in all cases. Attempts to stabilize using other environmental elements, or using internal strategies only, were less successful balance recovery strategies. Grab bar presence appeared to cue use of the environment for stability. Proactive grasp and other strategies modified grasping success. Conclusion Grab bars appear to provide effective support for recovery from unexpected balance loss. Grab bar presence may instigate development of fall prevention strategies prior to loss of balance. Application Bathroom designs with grab bars may reduce frequency of fall-related injuries during bathing transfer tasks.

Explores how consumers form complex relationships with media texts and characters, and how these readings exist in the nexus between real and fictional worlds. This collection of empirical studies uses various methodologies, including surveys, experiments, focus groups, and mixed methods, to analyze how actual consumers interpret the texts and the overt and covert political messages encoded in popular culture.--Provided by publisher