Mark A. Flynn

We Are the Tea Party!: The Use of Facebook as an Online Political Forum for the Construction and Maintenance of in-Group Identification during the “GOTV” Weekend

Researchers have found Facebook to be a viable tool for major party candidates; however, few scholars have sought to investigate how Facebook messages influence an emerging political groups online identity. This study examined how Tea Party supporters used Facebook to construct and maintain an identity during the “Get Out The Vote” weekend. Applying a grounded theory approach, we found that Tea Party supporters engaged in two types of polarization language strategies to construct and preserve their online identity. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the “echo chamber” effect.

“Let's Get This Party Started!”: An Analysis of Health Risk Behavior on MTV Reality Television Shows

Past research has examined portrayals of risk behavior in various media, including television, advertising, and film. To address an underexplored area, this study analyzed drinking, smoking, and sexual activities in MTV reality programming popular among adolescent viewers from 2004 to 2011. Cast members’ demographic attributes were also examined in relation to their risk behaviors. Results demonstrated that drinking and casual sexual behaviors were pervasive among cast members. Smoking and more intense sexual behaviors were also present, but to a smaller degree. Men and young adult cast members were more likely to engage in risk behaviors than women and teenage cast members. Also, ethnic/racial minority characters were shown drinking more often than were White cast members. Interpretations of these findings are discussed based in social cognitive theory and the concept of super peers. Implications for future research are provided.

“Drunk in Love”: The Portrayal of Risk Behavior in Music Lyrics

The current study investigated the prevalence of multiple risk behaviors in popular music lyrics as well as the contexts within which they occur. We conducted a content analysis of the top 20 Billboard songs from 2009 to 2013 in the genres of rap, country, adult contemporary, rock, R&B/hip-hop, and pop, coding for the presence of alcohol, marijuana, nonmarijuana drugs, and sex as well as the contexts intoxication, binging/addiction, partying/socializing, disregard for consequences, and emotional states. The contexts relationship status and degradation were also coded for when sex was present. Of the 600 songs, 212 mentioned sexual behaviors, which were most frequent in rap and R&B/hip-hop. Alcohol was the next most frequent risk behavior, again with greatest mention in rap and R&B/hip-hop. Alcohol, marijuana, and nonmarijuana drugs were most often associated with positive emotions, and sex was most often described within the context of casual relationships. Alcohol and sex were associated with disregard for consequences most often in 2011, when the “you only live once” motto was most popular. These findings are concerning because exposure to popular music is associated with increased risk behaviors for adolescents and young adults, who are the greatest consumers of music.

Curriculum infusion of the social norms approach: Information only vs. service learning

ABSTRACT A two-group pretest–post-test quasi-experiment was conducted to analyze the impact of curriculum infusion of the social norms approach on students’ alcohol perceptions and behaviors. This study extended previous research by examining two types of curriculum infusion, information only (IO) and service learning (SL). Also, owing to variations in drinking behavior between women and men, sex differences in IO and SL were assessed. In support of previous research, curriculum infusion significantly reduced participants’ misperceptions of campus alcohol use. There were no differences found between the IO and SL groups. However, further analysis revealed differences based on participants’ sex. Men in the SL group significantly reduced their drinking behavior. Since men tend to drink more than women and because heavy drinkers are typically more resistant to alcohol interventions, the SL results have practical implications for instructional communication with this demographic.

Hostile Media or Hostile Source? Bias Perception of Shared News

An experiment was conducted with college students to examine the effects of source and user comments on the perceptions of a shared news story embedded in a blog post. When the shared news was credited to a news organization source incongruent with the participants’ political orientation, it was perceived to be biased against the participants’ issue position. When credited to a congruent source, the same news was perceived to be biased in favor of the participants’ position. In addition, the shared news from an incongruent source was perceived to have greater influence on others’ issue position than the same news from a congruent source, although perceived reach of the shared news was not different between the two conditions. A subsequent regression analysis identified source and perceived influence, but not perceived reach, as predictors of news bias perception. On the other hand, the second factor, user comments either agreeable or disagreeable to the participants’ issue position, did not influence how the shared news was perceived. In the discussion, theoretical implications of these findings are elaborated, and suggestions are made to refine the methods of shared news research.

Name Dropping and Product Mentions: Branding in Popular Music Lyrics

ABSTRACT Product placement provides a unique advantage over traditional advertising as it can be integrated into program content through a symbiotic relationship. A content analysis of the Billboard year-end top 20 songs for Rap, Country, R&B/Hip-Hop, Adult Contemporary, Rock, and Pop over five years (2009–2013) was conducted to determine the use of celebrities, product placement, and nonbranded product mentions in song lyrics. Results found male artists used celebrity mentions and product placement more than females, Rap contained the most mentions (73% of songs), clothing and shoes was the most prevalent product category, musicians were the most common type of celebrity mentioned, and nonbranded product mentions were in 54.5% of songs. The paper concludes by discussing practical implications of utilizing branded, nonbranded, and celebrity mentions in song lyrics.

An exploratory evaluation of the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of the mental fitness disordered eating program in schools

ABSTRACT The present study examines the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a tiered professional development disordered eating prevention program. A pretest/posttest quasi-experimental design assessed elementary and junior high school faculty and staff’s disordered eating knowledge and attitudes. Findings indicate participants experienced increased awareness of students’ susceptibility to and the severity of disordered eating, increased self-efficacy about referring students to appropriate resources, and overall perceived acceptability of the training. Improved knowledge and attitudes suggest faculty and staff are better equipped to identify at-risk individuals at an early stage, increasing the likelihood of recovery from disordered eating behaviors or disordered eating.

“Where Do I Belong, from Laguna Beach to Jersey Shore?”: Portrayal of Minority Youth in MTV Docusoaps

Based on the notion that reality television is used by the youth to learn about various social identity groups, the portrayal of minority in MTV “docusoap” was analyzed. Whereas Whites were overrepresented, Asians were completely absent. Although a few of them were shown, Latinos were virtually invisible as central characters as well as in social and romantic relationships. Blacks were also severely underrepresented and the problem was more pronounced for women than men. Among the minority groups, only mixed-raced women were shown as normalized as White women and men. Implications and suggestions for future studies were discussed.