Exploring eWOM in Online Consumer Reviews: Experience Versus Search Goods

By Jinsoo Kim, Jaejin Lee and Matt Ragas WJMCR 32 (May 2011) Introduction | Purpose | Literature Review | Research Questions | Methods | Findings | Summary and Discussion | Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research Abstract The purpose of this exploratory study is to provide a description of eWOM that allows a better understanding of this new communication phenomenon by conducting content analysis. The study analyzes 828 online consumer reviews […]

How We Got Where We Are Now: 20 Years of Research Into Online Mass Communication: An Annotation

Part 1, 1990-94: Describing the Elephant in the Dark Room By Thomas H.P. Gould, Aobo Dong and Jacob A. Mauslein WJMCR 31 (April 2011) Journal Selection | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 Why do we seek to annotate when professors worldwide can search most efficiently the web and electronic databases? Perhaps because the term “efficiently” used in the sentence above should be […]

Uses of New Media Before 2011 By Egyptian Political Movements

By Amen Said Abel-Ghany  WJMCR 41 (March 2011) Introduction | Literature Review | Hypotheses | Method | Results | Discussion and Conclusion Abstract This study examines the ability of new media to support democracy and play a role in changing Egypt as a model for developing countries. This is accomplished through studying the use of Egyptian political movements such as the “Kfaiya Movement”, “April 6 Youth Movement” […]

Interactivity as Super-variable: Defintions, Dimensions, Mediators, and Implications for Theory

By Bartosz W. Wojdynski WJMCR 30 (March 2011) Introduction | Interactivity’s Role| Defining Interactivity | Conceptualizations | Measurement | Models | Discussion | Conclusion Abstract In research about the World Wide Web, interactivity is an important variable. However, it has been defined in a number of different ways. Some definitions emphasize the user, while others emphasize the stimulus. Recent theoretical models have identified other variables which may moderate or […]

News Coverage of Environmental Risks: Subjective Knowledge, Personal Efficacy and Perceived Usefulness of Different Media

By Brooke Weberling, Jennette Lovejoy and Daniel Riffe  WJMCR 40 (February 2011) Introduction | Previous Research | Theoretical Framework | Research Questions and Hypotheses | Method | Findings | Discussion and Conclusion Abstract Telephone survey data (N=511) are used to explore relationships among exposure, attention, and usefulness of online, newspaper, and television environmental news; subjective knowledge; personal efficacy; and environmental risk. Correlations show exposure to online environmental news was […]

Shifting Circles: Reconceptualizing Shoemaker and Reese’s Theory of a Hierarchy of Influences on Media Content for a Newer Media Era

By Susan Keith WJMCR 29 (February 2011) Introduction | Gatekeeping Roots | Hierarchy of Influences | Reconceptualizing | Conclusion Abstract Drawing on Merrill Morris and Christine Ogan’s 1996 call for researchers to pursue theoretically grounded approaches to the Internet’s “many different configurations of communication,” this article considers two ways in which  Shoemaker and  Reese’s model of a hierarchy of influences on media content might […]

Interactivity and Public Opinion Leadership

By Ji won Kim and Joonseok Choi WJMCR 26 (November 2010) Introduction | Literature Review | Hypotheses and Research Questions | Method | Results | Discussion | Conclusion | Appendixes Abstract Recently, the arrest of “Minerva” has been one of the most fervently debated subjects online and offline throughout South Korea. A person known as “Minerva”, the username for Daum Agora, was recently arrested for writing about the worsening global […]

Hispanic Students and Social Networking

By Ben Wasike and John A. Cook WJMCR 25 (October 2010) Introduction | Literature Review | Theory | Social Effects | Research Questions | Method | Results | Discussion Abstract Social networking sites have surged in popularity lately, the most popular being MySpace and Facebook. Between them these two have more than 360 million registered users worldwide. Never before have so many people gathered to communicate through a single medium, […]

Something Ventured, Something Gained

By Daekyung Kim, Thomas J. Johnson and Barbara K. Kaye WJMCR 24 (September 2010) Introduction|Literature Review|Research Questions|Method|Results|Discussion Abstract Citizen conversation about public affairs has long been considered crucial in the functioning of a democracy. Studies have found that exposure to news media alone does not automatically make people informed. This online survey of 1,366 politically interested […]

Still Photos With Sound

By Michelle I. Seelig WJMCR 23 (August 2010) Introduction|Background|Media Entertainment|Research Questions|Procedures|Findings|Discussion and Conclusion Abstract Whether for a news website or for personal use, the Web allows for the opportunity to tell stories in unique and compelling ways unimaginable in print, such as photo slideshows, photo galleries, flash videos, QuickTime movies, etc. Just as static images may […]