Theses supervised by Bahire Efe Özad
28 theses · Eastern Mediterranean University
Interpersonal Communication: Strategies Nigerian Students Excogitate to Cope at Eastern Mediterranean University
Nigerians in Eastern Mediterranean University, North Cyprus have the highest number of international students among all the 95 countries which have students in the university as at 2014/2015 section so it is significant to know how they cope with language barrier. At the EMU, language of instruction is mostly in English. However, society outside speaks Turkish. This study basically deals with interpersonal communication strategies Nigerian students in Eastern Mediterranean University cope with language barrier especially with the people of the host community. This research was carried out in Eastern Mediterranean University, Famagusta, North Cyprus with a total student population of 18000 as at 2014/2015 academic year Fall term. The total number of Nigerian students in the university was 2327 and out of the population 10% was the sample of the research. 240 questionnaires were administered to three faculties of the institution with 80 copies each to Business and Economics Faculty, Communication and Media Studies Faculty and Engineering Faculty. Findings from the data collected via 238 questionnaires that was received shows that Nigerian students use some aspects of nonverbal cues to cope with language barrier and they are; eye contact, hand gestures, signs and symbols, touch, facial expressions, paralanguage. For the verbal aspects, it is found out that they know and use a few Turkish words. They also use google translate when language becomes a barrier. The study resolves that nonverbal cues and verbal communication are very important aspects of communication for Nigerian students. Also, it is observed that the intervention of the new media is a blessing and not a curse to interpersonal communication as many of them use ‘google translates’ to check meanings when language becomes a barrier. Keywords: Interpersonal communication, nonverbal communication, verbal communication, new media
Influence of Turkish Television Serials on Audience: Family in Transmediated Storytelling
This study presents the role of television as the storyteller and the story of “family” in Turkish television serials. In this respect, the present study explores how “family” and “family relationships” are represented and perceived in Turkish television serials by the habitants of İskele in North Cyprus in 2015. With the rapid developments in Internet technology, technological convergence enabled an exchange among different media platfroms. Thus, through media convergence and the development of transmedia practices, audience engagement in the television serials have increased and the audience have become more active. The present study also investigates transmediated storytelling of Turkish television serials on Facebook Like Pages. The present study uses qualitative research methodology. It is condcuted in the form of a collective case study and focuses on two contexts. The first one is İskele (located in North part of Cyprus); the second one is Turkish television serials and their official Facebook Like Pages. In this context, the samples for focus groups were chosen by purposive sampling strategy in İskele and five focus groups were determined. The 38 Turkish television serials were broadcasted in the 2014-2015 period and nine of them (Aramızda Kalsın, Arka Sokaklar, Gönül İşleri, Güllerin Savaşı, Karadayı, Karagül, Küçük Ağa, Ulan İstanbul and Yalan Dünya) were chosen for the study. Four methods were used for data collection. These methods are; participant observation, researcher’s diaries, focus groups’ interviews and posts of nine Turkish television serials from official Facebook Like Pages. The data were analysed by using thematic analysis. Firtstly, the data were transcribed and coded, then, the emerging themes were turned into a matrix for further analysis. The findings of the matrix analysis is presented in four levels. These are the place of storytelling; storytelling on television; reasons for watching television and Turkish television serials; and audience’s feelings/views about Turkish television serials and representation of “family” in those serials. Objectives of the present study are re-visited. The place of television and storytelling in audience’s lives; audience’s views about “family” representation in Turkish television serials and finally audience’s views of transmediated storytelling of “family” issues in Turkish television serials are elaborated. In addition to the research objectives, the present study also has additional findings which are: “The relationship between television and society/audience: television serials”; “different examples of Turkish families represented in turkish television serials”; “technological changes in Storytelling”; “Significance of age differences engagement in storytelling”; “Increasing screen numbers” and “Television is not a single medium on its own”. For the further research, television channels’ owners , producers and scenarists’ views need to be examined about role of television as the storyteller. Another fruitful line of research could be to compare representation of family in the Western and the Eastern television channels and serials. The research area can be also extended by including alternative new media (i.e. Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc.,).
Conflict Resolution Strategies Used By Tertiary Students on Facebook
Conflict resolution involves the collaborative process of dealing with conflict including an outcome that is commonly agreed upon by parties involved. The purpose of this study is to gain knowledge into university students experience and understanding of conflict in real life and strategy employed in conflict resolution when on Facebook. The study is necessitated by the increasing presence of university students on social media. Primarily, this study investigates the conflict resolution strategy used on Facebook by Faculty of Communication and Media Studies (FCMS) and Faculty of Engineering (FE) students at the Eastern Mediterranean University in 2014 and 2015 academic year, fall semester. For this study, data were obtained through questionnaire consisting of three sections, demographic, personality and conflict resolution strategy on Facebook. This study is significant because understanding the conflict resolution of university students would help indicate conflict resolution of future generation. The questionnaire has 52 questions including some 5-point Likert-scale questions and was administered using Non-proportional Stratified Random Sampling strategy. Findings from this study revealed that both FCMS and FE students‟ employ WIN-WIN strategy to resolve conflicts on Facebook. Keywords: Facebook, Conflict, Resolution Strategy, Social Media Network Sites
Al Jazeera’s Coverage of Jamal Khashoggi’s Murder
In the fall of 2018, the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi became headlining news all over the world. Khashoggi was a prominent critic of the Saudi government, he was especially critical of Saudi crowned prince Mohammad Bin Salman. The news of Khashoggi’s murder was followed gradually by Qatari owned news network Al Jazeera. Before the Khashoggi murder, in the summer of 2017 Saudi Arabia and her neighboring allies United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt placed sanction on Qatar. Those countries gave 13-point list of demands, which included the shutdown of Qatari news network Al Jazeera in order to lift the blockade on Qatar; the Qatar government disagreed with those demands because they believed it would affect their nation’s sovereignty. This study looks at how Al Jazeera covered the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, taking into account the Saudi-Qatar diplomatic conflict. This study analyzed six episodes from the news commentary show Inside Story on Al Jazeera English. Secondary data was collected through Al Jazeeras online archives. The study used qualitative methodology through critical discourse analysis. The findings of this study showed that the issues emphasized in Al Jazeeras coverage of Khashoggis murder were Saudi-US relations and how those relations have affected the Middle East. Al Jazeera used Khashoggis murder to openly criticize Mohammad bin Salman the Saudi crowned prince. Based on analysis the study also found that there was a connection between Saudi-Qatar diplomatic conflict and Al Jazeera’s coverage of the murder. Keywords: Critical discourse analysis, Jamal Khashoggi, Al Jazeera, Agenda Setting Theory, Gatekeeping Theory
An Evaluation of the Effects of Social Media on Romantic Relationships
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have brought about a paradigm shift in the way individuals communicate and access information across all spheres. These ICT platforms include mobile and social media platforms, which have enhanced the day-to-day interaction among individuals. Social media platforms play key roles in various forms of personal relations, including romantic relationships (dating, cohabiting and married individuals). Social media has on the one hand opened the communication obstacles between romantic partners, while on the other hand posed great threat to the sustainability of relationships on the other hand. This research investigated the influence of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat on romantic relationships. Sampling (n = 376) university students (EMU) from over 110 countries across the continent, the study collected quantitative data to investigate how social media use facilitates satisfaction between romantic partners. Questionnaires were distributed to participants where the responses received provided insight in to whether social media use may lead to monitoring, trust, infidelity and distraction in romantic relationships. The study also sought to investigate if monitoring, trust, infidelity and distraction will mediate the positive relationship between social media use and gratifications in romantic relationships. Findings in the study affirmed that social media use is a significant predictor to gratifications in romantic relationships. In addition, statistical findings revealed that social media use enhances monitoring of the romantic partner, with monitoring eliciting gratifications in romantic relationships. The findings further revealed that social media use does not have a statistical relationship with distractions, trust and infidelity. Quite importantly, research findings revealed that none of the variables mediated the positive relationship between social media use and gratifications in romantic relationships. The research further affirms and expands existing knowledge on the Media Multiplexity Theory and the Uses and Gratifications Theory. Conclusions are drawn from the findings and suggestions are made for further research. Keywords: social media; romantic relationship, relationship gratification; uses and gratifications theory; media multiplexity theory
Preference of Social Network Sites for Uncertainty Reduction among International Students
International students are distant from their homes and seek for an appropriate platform which they can relate with home, North Cyprus and others. This research considers the preference of Social Networking Sites (SNS), particularly Facebook and Instagram by the international tertiary students. The various strategies employed by the students when they would like to reduce their levels of uncertainty have been also considered. 499 international students who study at the Eastern Mediterranean University participated in the study. The study made use of quantitative methodology and administered questionnaire as a means of data collection, in order to ascertain students’ preference of SNS. Findings revealed that although Facebook seems to be the most popular, Instagram seems to be significant in communicating with people in North Cyprus, and others than the use of Facebook. Also, the three uncertainty reduction strategies (URS) passive, active and interactive strategies have positive influence when SNS was used in inferential statistics to ascertain the influence when use as the mediating variable. Students are active in the selection of their media to reduce their uncertainty thus; they have positive relationship. The two theories used (Uses and Gratification and Uncertainty Reduction Theories) affirmed that youth are selective and active when selecting a medium for communication thus their suitability for the research. Keywords: Preference, Social Networking Sites (SNSs), Uncertainty Reduction Theory, International students, Eastern Mediterranean University.
Attitudes of Facebook and Instagram Users Towards SNS Clothing Brands’ Posts and Their Influence on Users’ Purchasing
This case study has focused on the attitudes of individuals towards clothing brands posts in Facebook and Instagram, their influence on Terranova and Calliope brands and how these posts in Facebook and Instagram motivate SNS users, purchasing decisions. The research has been conducted with respondents who belong to different age categories and administered in three areas of Northern Cyprus; Nicosia, Morphou and Kyrenia. By using quantitative research methodology, an in-house questionnaire comprising 52 questions was prepared and 315 participants responded. The results of the study indicate that depending on their age, attitudes of individuals towards clothing brands’ posts in Facebook and Instagram show difference. Also, their reactions and encouragement they obtained from SNS posts as well as their motivation for their purchase decision, revealed statistically significant difference regarding their ages. The study indicates that the content of the SNS posts, like audio, video effects, colors, pictures, gestures and information, the price detail about the product are effective to take individuals’ attention for SNS posts. Regardless of individuals’ age, benefits of advertising in Facebook and Instagram, following the favorite clothing brands in SNS and the importance of the content of SNS posts for its efficiency were the common points that they attitude mutually.
Influence of Social Networking Sites on Academic Performance of University Students
Social Networking Sites (SNS) continue to play a significant role in the daily lives of humans most especially among university students. The platforms have affected university students in various ways including their academic performance. As such, this research seeks to find out how use of SNS platforms affect the academic performance of university students. Using quantitative methodology, the study samples university students who use SNS while carrying out a comparison between students of two Faculties (Communication and Media Studies Faculty and Engineering Faculty). Questionnaires were randomly distributed to 410 students of the Faculty of Engineering and Communication & Media Studies. The research was carried out in the Fall semester of 2018/2019 academic session. Findings indicate that using SNS increased students’ productivity in their academics however, when they use SNS for non-academic activities there is usually no improvement in their grades. Findings also show that the almost all the SNS platforms are being used by these university students. Findings also indicate that there is a statistical significant relationship between students of Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Communications and Media Studies, of who are affected by SNS use in their academic performance. Keywords: SNS, Academic Performance, SNS Use, University Students
Portrayal of Teenage Pregnancy in Hollywood Movies: Precious, the Pregnancy Project and Juno
The visibility of teenage pregnancy has become a call for concern though it’s not a new issue. Many more young girls are getting pregnant and the reaction to the phenomenon is gradually changing and the girls getting more support and encouragement to move on with their lives from family, friends and outsiders thereby killing stereotypes and exposing challenges. The main aim of this research is to look at the portrayals of teenage pregnancy in Hollywood movies from 2007- 2015 with objectives to find out the challenges before, during and after pregnancy. Three movies (Juno, Precious and the Pregnancy Project) selected from 15 other Hollywood movies on teenage pregnancy will be the focus of the study. A feminist media approach is used for this study to explain reasons why some pregnant teens face problems which include patriarchy, oppression, choices, stereotypes and inequality. Textual analysis was used to collect primary data to understand the content and better explain the messages contained in the three movies (Juno, Precious and the Pregnancy Project) used for the research. Secondary data was collected from books, e-books, online journals and magazines and newspapers to find previous literature related to the topic and to support findings found in the movies used for the study. Stereotypes, patriarchy, oppression and choices are discovered to be issues that serve as both problems and solutions in all three movies (Juno, Precious and the Pregnancy Project).Precious, Juno and Gaby all face various stereotypes and only Juno of all three girls freely makes her choices on her life and her baby easily with family support. Gaby (the Pregnancy Project) and Precious (Precious) live in patriarchal societies where they are oppressed and can hardly make decisions. Challenges that run across the movies include regret, frustration, emotions, labor pains, immaturity, stereotypes, disappointment and lack of confidence among others. These findings will help in better understanding of portrayals of teenage pregnancy in movies and the challenges faced by young pregnant teenagers, before, during and after pregnancy. It will also help to find out the importance and consequences of the content of these movies on its audience and the impact it has on their lives. Keywords: Teenage Pregnancy, challenges, portray, feminist ideologies, stereotypes, Hollywood movies
Palestinian Students’ use of Social Media in Family Communication
Many Palestinians immigrate for higher education due to the political conflicts faced by the nation. A large number has found Eastern Mediterranean University as a convenient place to pursue their education. As the geographical distance between these students and their families became greater, the easiest and fastest way to communicate became social media as it is today’s trends. Thus, Facebook as the most preferred social network is valuable in the world of communication. The method of study will be qualitative. The methodology will be based on focus groups of male Palestinian students. The field study is Eastern Mediterranean University, a state university in North Cyprus with Palestinian as one of the largest foreign population on the campus. The interviews/discussions will be held in 3 different groups of six participants each. Thus, data will be triangulated than similarities discussed in themes. The samples selection is based on the fact according to a survey conducted by Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) most of the emigrants were young, single men. It also found more males than females were emigrating for education. The population of the focus group was selected randomly. The research must be conducted with an objective to collect and store sources of data, in a systematic manner using literature review and a thematic analysis. The goal is to analyze family communication and understand the vitality of family relation through the use of social media amongst student living abroad for educational reasons. The results show how the role of Facebook in the life of Palestinian students is complex as it may serve for good or for bad. Results also show that the impact of Facebook on families is not to be ignored, especially among Palestinian students whose main mean of communication with families is social media for the most may lead to questioning the vitality of family relation in their lives. The study highlights the factors that can most likely affect international students due to the use of social media.
Overt vs. Covert Messages and Uses of Conflict Resolution Strategies in a TV Serial: Çocuklar Duymasın
Çocuklar Duymasın (Do Not Let Children Hear) is a long-standing soap opera in Turkey which uses overt/direct and covert/indirect messages within its episodes. Specifically, it uses conflict resolution strategies in the covert/indirect messages and, considering the importance of these kinds of messaging in TV serials, this study, through indepth interview with the scenarist and producer, Birol Güven, aims to explore the subject matter. This study also aims to examine the overt and covert messages, characters, topics and characters’ gender with the confines of Law No. 6112 and a Protocol enacted by the Turkish government for media services. Lastly, the study also demonstrates the use of conflict resolution strategies in the covert/indirect messages. The study adopts content analysis and critical discourse analysis in analyzing 20 episodes of Çocuklar Duymasın televised in 2010 on ATV, and in 2013 on Fox TV. Furthermore, the study depends on the Development Media Theory and Feminist Theory. The results obtained from content analysis confirm that characters state more overt/direct messages than covert/indirect messages in Çocuklar Duymasın due to the influence of the Law No. 6112 and the Protocol. The study also reveals that there are uses of conflict resolution strategies in the covert/indirect messages as discovered through critical discourse analysis. Conclusions drawn from this study reveals that Çocuklar Duymasın uses both overt/direct messages and conflict resolution strategies in the covert/indirect messages. Keywords: Çocuklar Duymasın, Content Analysis, Critical Discourse Analysis, Development Media Theory, Feminist Theory.
Influence of Product Placement Strategy used in TV Series on Nigerians
Technological advancement has provided more media options for audience to choose from, leading advertisers to seek new strategies to reach their target audience. Product placement strategy is considered one of those strategies as it is a kind of advertiseme nt interwoven with media content in order to reach its audience. The aim of this study is to explore the influence of product placement strategy in TV series on Nigerians. The study makes use of a mixture of cultivation theory and uses and gratification theory. The purpose for embarking on this study is to find out how effective product placement is on Nigerians. The study makes use of quantitative methodology. 280 Nigerians living in the city of Abuja, Maitama metropolis in the summer period of 2016 participated in answering the in-house questionnaire. The first section of the questionnaire contained demographical questions while the second section contained information relating to respondent’s knowledge about product placement. The final section explored the perception and attitudes of the respondents towards product placement strategy in Nigerian TV series. Findings show that respondents are influenced by product placement and their attitudes change based on the featured products in Nigerian TV series. Also, it was revealed that people don’t mind watching TV series with product placement as it enhances the overall view of the program by making it appear more realistic. Further research can be done in the area of product placement as regarding culture. Also, a content analysis of specific TV series or programs against particular products can be done.
Attitudes of Turkish Cypriots towards the Use of Popular Music in Turkish TV Series
‘Using popular music in Turkish TV series as pathos’ was conducted to shed light to the significance of popular music on visual TV series text. For the past years there is a death of research in this area. This study is the first to study music in the Turkish TV series as pathos. This study has focused on the population of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as its audience. Because of the lack of TV series in North Cyprus and the main audience from TRNC watch Turkish TV series as a primary source of TV text: However, this study focuses on not only music in Turkish TV but also general concepts of music in TV series as well. Quantitative research has been used in this case study. 301 questionnaires have been completed by the participants. The questionnaires were only prepared in English and completed either online or by hand. The questionnaire consisted of 27 questions 6 of them sought to collect demographic information on the participants and the rest are 5-point Likert scale questions. The results of the study, suggest that, music can be used as pathos in Turkish TV series. This study also outlined the importance of the music in visual texts, where it has been always underrated. The findings of the study indicate that music can change the emotions of the audience, not only when they are watching the TV series but also in their daily lives as well. Keywords: Pathos, Music, Turkish TV series, Emotion, Audience
Communication of Kazakh Students in EMU with Families through SNS: Facebook and Alternatives
Social Network Sites (SNS) are a great technological achievement that has expanded the daily interaction of people and turned the world into one big virtual platform for communication. One of the biggest advantages is that SNS have reduced the distance between people who are located in different parts of the world. This technological progress can be especially beneficial for students who left their parents‟ home to continue studying at the university. The use of SNS among young generation started to attract attention of scholars all over the world. However, there is small number of research about SNS as one of the communication tools between adolescents and their parents, especially as far as Kazakhstan is concerned. Therefore, the present study tries to find out whether Kazakh students at the Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) communicate or not with their families on SNS while they are studying abroad. By adopting the Uses and Gratifications and Communication Privacy Management perspectives as the theoretical foundation, this research seeks to provide a better and more comprehensive understanding of Kazakh parent/child relationships through SNS. For this study, an online survey was conducted among 115 Kazakh students at EMU. The data suggests that along with Facebook, Kazakh students use alternatives to SNS. Moreover, they prefer to divide and use different platforms to communicate with families and friends. Since respondents are studying abroad, they don‟t feel like family member violate their privacy on Facebook.
Facebook as a Platform for Announcing Social Events; Case Study Eastern Mediterranean University Students
Social events on Facebook have become one of the well-known activities carried out on Facebook because of the popularity in the world. Facebook serves as medium to announce events or invite people to an event. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of announcement of social event made on Facebook and to know if people really feel invited if announcement is done on Facebook. Quantitative methodology is used for this study in which the total number of 300 hundred students from Eastern Mediterranean University in fall semester 2018 participated. The total number of students as of the time is around 20,000. The questionnaire comprises of 35 questions and it is an in-house questionnaire. The questionnaire comprises three sections the demographic information, about Facebook and social events, statements organized according to five point Likert scale questions. The data obtained through the study is analyzed through descriptive statistics. The findings indicate that a considerable number of Eastern Mediterranean University students use Facebook to announce their social events and is very effective due to the fact that they feel invited if social events are announced on Facebook among their friends and families.
Role of Social Networking Sites on Depression among Nigerian Young Adults
Social Networking Sites have continued to play significant roles in the transformation of human lives and system. SNS have been ascribed as platforms that causes depression among youth most especially due to the level of its use. Therefore, the overall objective of the study is to find out what acts on social media cause depression among Nigerian Young Adults. Using a qualitative design, this study helps to provide an in-depth understanding of 21 respondents who are Nigerians with regards to their experience in SNS use and depression. The questions were targeted at helping to achieve certain purposes and make useful findings. The study was carried out in Fall 20018, in Lagos, Nigeria. The study used triangulation method in collecting its data (interviews, field notes, and observation) which were analyzed thematically. Findings indicate that SNS platforms contribute to depression among Nigerian youths in many ways. The research has been able to find out that there exists a relationship between the use of SNS and the high level of depression experienced by youth in this generation. In addition, findings have been able to attenuate that SNS though facilitates depression, it has also served as an effective tool in creating awareness or campaigning about the causes of depression among the Nigerian youths.
Participation in Nigerian Blogosphere: An Assessment of Blog Readers’ Attitudes Towards Linda Ikeji’s Blog
This study investigates blog reading practices of blog readers, selection criteria, perception of blogs and traditional media in terms of credibility, perception of blog readers’ activities in terms of their importance to the blogging activity, blog reading motives and blog readers perception of other blog readers. Social Presence and Uses and Gratification Theories are used to explain blog reading motives and perception. The study adopts a quantitative research methodology and the population are Nigerian students enrolled in Eastern Mediterranean University, a public university in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the Fall 2016/2017 semester (N=1394). With a sizeable sample size (n=280), data analysis was carried out descriptively, comparatively and through correlational analysis. Results show that blog readers read all new entries whenever the launch of the URL of the blog. Blog readers select news based of the following criteria; education, information, tragedy, entertainment, gossip, comedy. The study shows that most blog readers believes that the blog is more credible than traditional media. Blog readers believe that they are important to the blogging activity. Following Uses and Gratification Theory, majority of the blog readers read blogs for intrinsic motivation. Following Social Presence Theory, this study found that most blog readers think that most commenters use a fake user ID to comment.
Engineering of Consent: Analysis of the Israel Lobby's Facebook Discourse in the U.S.
The present study seeks to investigate the Israel-Zionist Lobby's Facebook pages’ discourse in the U.S. in 2018. This study examines the Lobby discourse in terms of engineering the American consent process regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, discourse construction (language, power, and ideologies usage within the Lobby's discourse), themes that emerged from the discourse and media representation of the conflict and all its components. The present study adopts Critical Discourse Analysis and NVivo program to analyze sixty most interactive Facebook posts of the most popular Israel Lobby's Facebook pages in the U.S. (StandWithUs, United with Israel, Stand for Israel, Christians United for Israel, and The Israeli Project). The posts include texts, images, and videos. In terms of the theoretical framework, the study examines the Engineering of Consent approach, and the Discourse Theory within the Israel Lobby's discourse on Facebook pages. Findings show that the Israel Lobby applied Bernays’s eight-steps system of the engineering of consent for their discourse. In addition, the study detects abuse of power within the discourse and, the discourse was constructed in a biased, ideological, and hegemonic way, that only serves the interests and narrative of the Jews and Israel, the powerful side of the conflict. The themes that were identified are; terrorism and anti- Semitism, the Holocaust, religious and national occasions, Israel and the U.S. relationship, world silence and support for Israel, humanization, Israel in the victim's status. Additionally, on one hand, the discourse represents and reflects the in-group (Jews, Israelis, Americans) in a positive manner and on the other hand, it also represents and reflects the out-group (Muslims, Arabs, Palestinians) in a negative manner. Keyworks: The Israel-Zionist lobby, Palestinian-Israeli conflict, United States of America, Facebook pages, The engineering of consent, Discourse Theory.
Israeli Media Coverage for the Gaza War 2014; Case Study of “Yedioth Ahronoth” Newspaper
On 7th July 2014, the third Gaza war in Palestine between the Israel and the Palestinian resistance erupted. It lasted for 51 days and left thousands of dead and wounded victims, most of whom are Palestinians. It was an important event in which both the local and international media were interested. The present study focuses on the coverage of the Israeli media for the 2014 Gaza war, taking Yedioth Ahronoth online newspaper Hebrew-speaking as a case study. It was selected because it is the most widely spread newspaper in Israel; it is a private one, and due to its independent ownership. It is an important study due to the lack of research in this filed, especially in English language. It is also important to understand how the Israeli media works, especially during the war times. The study is based on testing three media theories; Agenda Setting, Gatekeeping, and Framing Analysis Theory. Furthermore, the quantitative methodology and content analysis method has been carried out in the study. The researcher developed checklist and analyzed the sample of study that includes 116 news taken from Yedioth Ahronoth online newspaper; in other words, the news that were published during 5 days of the war. The main findings of the present study can be summarized as follows: in the use of interesting frame by Yedioth Ahronoth to present information and make it more convincing, the focused on Israeli issues and the dependence on Israeli official news sources and narrative, provided justifications for Israel and portrayed it as a victim of the war. So the newspaper was supporting the war against Gaza and was not neutral in its coverage. It was biased to the Israeli side. Keywords: Gaza war 2014, Yedioth Ahronoth, Agenda Setting Theory, Gatekeeping Theory, Framing Analysis Theory.
Analysis of the Perceived Motivations behind the Activities of Tertiary Students on Social Media
Social media has been regarded as one of the most phenomenal innovations in the information and technology space. The platforms, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Blogs among others, have become a way of socializing, communicating, and interacting across borders. However, mobile phones have made social media access easier, this is as a result of its ability to connect to the internet as well as the compatibility of the platforms on these mobile devices. This, in turn, creates an opportunity for communication on the move, as users are able to connect with their friends at any point and place. This study conducts a quantitative analysis into the use of social media by finding out the motivations behind posting, liking and sharing social media contents by youths. This research is conducted in the Spring Semester of the 2017/2018 academic session among the 376 registered undergraduate students of the Eastern Mediterranean University. Findings of this study reveal that some social media users follow others because they have been followed by the same user/s. This will reciprocate the gesture and as such might be the beginning of an online/offline friendship. Results reveal that some social media users just comment on other users' platforms for fun. Findings also indicate that there is a statistically significant difference between the age group of youth that like one another’s posts on social media. Keywords: Social media, Youth, Motivation, University, Students.
Dating Violence and Digital Dating Abuse among University Students: Case of EMU
Violence experienced in dating relationships, constitutes one of the most significant public health problems. Dating is significant for young people when reaching adolescence. Dating violence is one of the frequently experienced types of violence. Currently, internet and social media occupies an important place in our lives and hence dating violence takes the form of digital dating abuse and starts to appear between romantic partners. The present research is a quantitative study conducted in order to explore the attitudes of university students towards dating violence and whether they experience or perpetrate digital dating abuse in their current or previous relationships. The sample of the research consists of 405 students 198 (48.9%) of whom are female and 207 (51.1%) are male students studying at four different social sciences faculties of Eastern Mediterranean University in the spring semester of 2017-2018 academic year. For data collection, an in-house questionnaire was used to gather data on the dating abuse that university students perceive and apply in romantic relationships. Independent sample t-tests were conducted to examine whether there is a relationship between the participants’ gender and their perpetration and victimization level of digital dating abuse. According to the results of the study, there is a statistically significant relationship in the t-test results for determining the perpetration and exposure level of digital dating abuse according to the gender of university students (p≤0,01). Women are exposed to digital dating abuse more than men. 83 (39.5%) of participants who are in a relationship state that they are exposed to violence in their present relationship and other 87 (41.4%) of them stated that they are perpetrating dating violence towards their partners. Keywords: Dating Violence, Digital Dating Abuse, University Students, Social Media, Gender Studies.
Personal Constructs Tertiary Students Adopt with Respect to Johari Window on Facebook Pages
Nowadays, most people prefer to use the most popular social network site, Facebook. Some people may not be able to express themselves in real life,but, can express to other Facebook users in virtual life. This study is designed upon the personal constructs (Kelly, 1950) the EMU students who study in 2015 Spring term adopt with respect to the interpersonal communication continuum put forth by Buber (1974) and Johari Window (Joseph Luft, Harry Ingham; 1955). For the present study, data have been collected through a survey which has 60 questions. It is related to students‟ demographic information and usage habits related to Facebook. 28 questions are prepared as 5-point Likert Scale questions, and based on personal constructs students adopt in real and virtual life with respect to the 4 areas mentioned in the Johari Window. The t-test run with respect to sex and all 5-point Likert Scale questions indicate there is a statically significant relationship with respect to at p≤ 0.05 level. This is only found at one question. One-way ANOVA test results indicate with respect to questions of, 3,4,5,6 and 15 questions and all 5-point Likert Scale questions show a statistically significant difference with respect to 15 questions at p≤0.05 level. This is found only in 16 questions. It is observed that students use Facebook parallel to four areas of Johari Window. In terms of communication and people mostly share their interests and likes on Facebook while hiding their personal information and relationship status participants show difference in the personal constructs they adopt according to 4 areas of the Johari Window in real and virtual life. Keywords: Interpersonal communication continuum, personal construct, johari window, Facebook and real and virtual life
Social Media as a Mechanism of Corresponding with Home Based Friends a Study of International Students in EMU
Social media has continued to play a major role in the establishment and sustenance of relationship in many ramifications. The platform has helped in keeping friends and families together thereby breaking the walls of communication gap that might have existed. Social media is also used by students to keep in touch with their friends and families. This study seeks to find out the use of social media by university students in keeping in touch with their friends and families as well as its rolls as a digital medium of communication as against the conventional mobile communication. Using a quantitative methodology, the research randomly samples 351 post students of the Eastern Mediterranean University. Findings from this study indicate that majority of the students attest to the fact that they use social media to share information about the cultural values of their current base as well as use social media to strengthen the relationship that exists between them and their home based friends. Statistical findings in this study also indicate that male respondents use social media to discuss about their academic activities with their Home-based friends more than the females. Also results from a statistical analysis show that male respondents use social media to discuss about life challenges with their Home-based friends more often than female respondents in this study.
The Role and Impact of Social Networking Sites on Family Relationships across Different Ethnicities
Recently, many researchers have explored the positive and negative effects of Facebook (FB) usage by considering various factors and analysing various dimensions, however, few studies have explored the impact of social media usage i.e. Social Networking Sites (SNS) and Social Networking Apps (SNA) on Family relations. Therefore, there is a requirement to analyse the association between SNS/SNA and family relations. This study aims to explore the role and impact of social methods like Facebook (FB), WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Viber, Telegram etc. on family relations across different ethnicities. In this study we have identified and reconnoitred the recent developments in the research. A quantitative methodology is employed to analyse the case study of EMU and Doğa college students and their families for this research. Through Non Proportional Stratified Random Sampling population sample is chosen comprising of 75 respondents each from 4 major ethnic groups. 300 Questionnaires are distributed to participants ranging from an age group of 13 years to more than 50 years old. An objective analysis of data revealed that respondents like their family members to be connected through social media but they do not like an invasion of their personal privacy therefore they use different privacy setting while connecting with family. Across all ethnicities, impact of social media on family relations is considered helpful to strengthen family relations in todays‟ world. Keywords: Family Relationships, different ethnicities, Social Media, Social Networking Sites. Facebook