Mark P. Orbe

Bio: Mark P. Orbe is an academic researcher. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 10 citations.

Media and Culture: The “Reality” of Media Effects

Abstract: The media is a powerful presence in people’s lives. Within the field of communication, media is the term used to refer to the particular medium used to deliver a message to a large, anonymous, diverse audience (Pearce, 2009a). Media studies involve research on media effects, which refer to the influence that the media has on audiences, and media representations, which are portrayals of various cultural groups. At the core of social construction is the idea that there is no such thing as objective reality (Pearce, 1995). Instead, scholars who advocate for this foundation stress that all knowledge is historically and culturally specific (Allen, 2005). Media, as a powerful social system, plays an important role in creating a person’s sense of reality (Gergen, 1999). Even those persons who closely monitor their media consumption are not immune to media effects. Media consumption Journey Through Chapter 11

What's in a "like"? influence of news audience engagement on the deliberation of public opinion in the digital public sphere.

Abstract: Title of Document: WHAT’S IN A “LIKE”? INFLUENCE OF NEWS AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT ON THE DELIBERATION OF PUBLIC OPINION IN THE DIGITAL PUBLIC SPHERE. Soo-Kwang Oh Doctor of Philosophy, 2014 Directed By: Linda Steiner, Ph.D. Professor Philip Merrill College of Journalism This dissertation is a mixed methods study of the influence of the “like” feature on how people discuss and understand online news. Habermas’s notion of the public sphere was that an inclusive, all-accessible and non-discriminating forum enables participants to deliberate on topics of concern. With increased interactivity and connectivity introduced by new media, commenting features have been heralded as a means to expand and accommodate discussions from audiences. In particular, by allowing people to provide feedback to each other’s ideas via “up-voting” and indicating popular “top” comments, the “like” button shows promise to be a quick and convenient way to increase participation and represent public opinion. This dissertation, however, questions whether this is true. It raises concerns about the new media landscape, asking whether the resulting digital culture helps in the proper functioning of the public sphere. To address these questions, this dissertation adopts a mixed methods approach consisting of the following: 1) Framing analysis of “top” comments and sub-comments that were posted in response to articles about recent presidential elections, examining how audiences’ framing of issues influences discussions and what strategies were used to increase “likable” traits; 2) ranking analysis of chronological order, testing whether chronological order of comments is a significant factor for number of “likes,” regardless of content; 3) controlled experiment, testing assumptions about cognitive and behavioral responses from individuals regarding the “like” feature and how they perceive public opinion; and 4) focus group sessions with college student news audiences and interviews with media professionals, making in-depth inquiry about people’s attitudes and perceptions of “likes.” Furthermore, this dissertation paid attention to cultural differences, and compared the U.S. to Korea, with its advanced information technologies and highly utilized online commenting forums. Findings from each of the four methods as well as triangulation of the results showed that “likes” and “top” comments influence people’s perceptions of public opinion. The problem was that these “top” comments were “liked” due to certain “likability” factors that had nothing to do with substantive issues and contributed little to the discussion. Also, avid commenters and “likers” tended to hold more extreme viewpoints, therefore promoting skewed perspectives. Moreover, the “top” comments may suggest priority of the ideas promoted in those top comments over others, thus hindering a full deliberation on topics in the public sphere. Across the findings, intercultural differences in both perspectives and behaviors were observed between U.S. and Korean data. Specifically, Korean participants showed higher susceptibility to “likes” and various characteristics regarding “likable” factors as well as “top” comments. The ideals of the public sphere can and will be important for how public opinion can be garnered in the digital setting. Nonetheless, this dissertation posits that the public sphere functions differently in the digital environment and thus its parameters and concepts need to be rethought. Because the public sphere is an abstract ideal, it lacks practicality and adaptability; it requires additional theorization based on cultural differences, various contexts under which audiences’ new engagement take place, and rapidly changing technologies and modes of usage within digital culture. WHAT’S IN A “LIKE”? INFLUENCE OF NEWS AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT ON THE DELIBERATION OF PUBLIC OPINION IN THE DIGITAL PUBLIC SPHERE. by Soo‐Kwang Oh Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2014 Advisory Committee: Professor Linda Steiner, Chair Professor Kalyani Chadha Professor Ron Yaros Professor Xiaoli Nan Professor Sahar Khamis © Copyright by Soo‐Kwang Oh 2014

Reporting violence or mediating peace? The Nigerian press and the dilemma of peace building in a democracy

Abstract: This study explores the mediation of ethno-religious conflicts by the press and investigates their potential for escalating or minimising such conflicts. Undertaken in the context of the protracted sectarian conflicts plaguing the Nigerian nation since return to democratic governance in 1999, the study focuses particular attention on the Nigerian press and seeks to locate the press within these conflicts. It addresses the wider debates around the reporting of war and conflict, particularly the contentious issues of the relationship between media and conflict and explores the implications of this relationship on the course of violent intra-state sectarian conflicts. Research on news culture confirms that media representations generally tend to glamorise war, violence and propaganda with negative implications for the resolution of such situations. This has raised critical issues about mainstream journalistic practices in the coverage of violence and scholarly arguments as to whether journalism is a participant or a detached observer in the conflict cycle. This study engages these difficult and much contested issues within the context of emerging alternative strategies for conflict reportage, focusing particular attention on the concept of peace journalism and its applicability to routine journalistic practice. The research utilises a repertoire of quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection, including content analysis, framing and critical discourse analyses and semi-structured interviews. The data collected is interrogated using a theoretical framework that incorporates ideas from ethnicity, media and ethnic conflicts, critical political economy as well as debates about alternative approaches to conflict coverage and reportage. The objective is to understand the intricate relationship between conflict dynamics, conflict analysis and the reportage of ethno-religious conflicts. The research reveals significant flaws in the quality of coverage and with the framing and representational patterns of the conflicts. These flaws are located within the historical development of the Nigerian press, the commercialisation of its operations as well as weak institutional structures. It further engages the context of news production with specific focus on the issues of professionalism, training and media regulation and how these affect content. It argues for the adoption of journalistic practice patterns and styles that will make the press less predisposed to aiding conflict escalation. This has implications for both teaching and research in the field as well as for news practices by the press.