Tag: Advertising

Code-Switching: Students in Formal vs. Informal Settings

Presenter: Taylor Bollenbaugh − Advertising

Co-Presenter(s): Simone Baeza, Ashling Mahony, Sofia Martin

Faculty Mentor(s): Melissa Baese-Berk

(Virtual) Poster Presentation

The way we communicate is always changing. It even changes when we speak to different people or in different settings. We decided to look further into the details of how specifically collegeaged students change their lexicon and grammar in formal and informal settings. This is known as code-switching–alternating between two or more languages or varieties of language in a single conversation. We have looked at responses from students from each scenario and have drawn conclusions from both sets of responses. We want to see how college-aged students code-switch their language in different situations. The two different environments we are going to study are formal/classroom settings and informal/social media settings. We want to see how college-aged students react to online school versus in-person school. We sent out questionnaires for students to complete anonymously. UO academic residential communities and Instagram stories will be how we get the majority of our responses. Hybrid learning has created an academic environment that is formal, yet informal. When students code-switch in response to a change in setting, the type of language they speak reflects their attitudes and interests in those different situations. The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly transformed many students’ attitudes towards education in the United States. We can use our results to help predict what the future of education may look like postpandemic.

The Power of America’s Most Watched Show: How Entertainment Television Can Change Social Behaviors

Presenter(s): Kyle Heiner − Journalism: Advertising

Faculty Mentor(s): Kim Sheehan, Erin Hanna

Oral Session 2C

Research Area: Media Studies and Advertising

This thesis examines the effects entertainment television can have on audiences beyond simply making them laugh, scream, or cry. In an era where the public has become increasingly untrustworthy of traditional broadcast news and advertising, I argue that ideas that prompt social change can be communicated through entertainment television, specifically, America’s most watched shows. In this thesis, I focus on how America’s current highest rated show, The Big Bang Theory, a scientifically- accurate sitcom centered around a group of young male scientists and their new blonde neighbor, can incorporate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into its storyline to promote their message to a majority of Americans. Using theories such as Uses and Gratifications, Parasocial Interaction, and Agenda Setting, as well as analyzing case studies about product placement, public service announcements, and media partnerships, the study suggests that integration with television storylines can increase knowledge and spur action among audiences. Importantly, I argue that episodes that contain a message central to the storyline, ease seamlessly into the narrative, and are open with their external partnership, are the most successful in getting their message across. A ‘spec’ script, which is a speculative screenplay for a series written by someone outside of the production, that illustrates these techniques is provided.