https://thesis.eur.nl/col/7015/ List of Publications en https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/49718/ Mon, 03 Jun 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>M. Berneman</div> The landscape of film consumption is one that has been evolving constantly over the last few decades. Today however consumers are not only spoiled by the variety of content released in cinemas but also by the new players in the business, SVOD services. Digital natives have grown up with new technologies and have been easily adapting to whatever comes their way. The digital natives did not grow up with the same amount of technologies that we have today, and they can ironically enough remember the ‘simpler’ times. They also grew up during the peak of illegal streaming and downloading. This creates an interesting dynamic in film consumption which leads to the following research question: How do digital natives obtain and consume contemporary film? The thesis analyses how these three consumption methods (SVOD, Cinema and Piracy) co-exist in these digital times and how one influences the other. In order to do so, the thesis applies the Uses and Gratifications through the use of in-depth interviews. A sample of 12 respondents between the ages of 17 and 25 was acquired where the participants were asked about their motivations and experiences towards each of the consumption methods. This thesis provides a fresh take on the subject due to its qualitative nature. Previous research provided the groundwork for the topic list, the eventual results and findings. The findings suggest that cinema attendance has decreased and has become more blockbuster oriented. People have become more selective due to SVOD and perceive the cinema experience as more of an activity. SVOD satisfaction does not necessarily lie with the film content but with the medium itself and television series which may change with new competitors. While film consumption at home is still very much present, it has made way for a more frequent consumption of television series. The digital natives also admit that their illegal consumption has mostly been reduced to an emergency medium. The increasing technological developments hint at a volatile future in film consumption. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/49710/ Mon, 03 Jun 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>A. Luksic'</div> Museums are widely accepted as social institutions with the main mission to generate public value and educating the society. However, with the advance of new technologies and a more liberated visitor, as well as decreases in governmental funding, museums find themselves in a complex and competitive environment. In order to appeal to a diverse and broad audience and to generate educational value, museums create multilayered educational products, to translate artefacts’ myriad layers of meaning. The museum, hence, is in need of different professionals form different fields of expertise to grasp this complexity and create a holistic translation to the public. The main purpose of this research was to investigate how museums can generate multilayered educational media through the process of interdisciplinary collaborations. Professionals engage in a collaboration with co-workers from different disciplines, educational backgrounds, often contrasting department goals and perspectives. These complex team processes as well as the creation of such multilayered educational products have been analyzed within three case studies. The case studies involved different interdisciplinary project teams concerned with the creation of abovementioned products. By collecting data through expert interviews and desk research, a current phenomenon and its context could be examined in-depth. The analysis was solved by thematic analysis and oriented on the conceptual framework of this research paper. The data analysis revealed, multilayered educational media in museums are likely to be oriented on current events and the collection of the museum, on the specific audience to be reached. Moreover, the products aim at transferring complex multifaceted information in a comprehensible language. The main overall purpose of these products was found in the inclusion of a wide audience, a higher engagement of visitors and a multilayered knowledge transfer. In terms of the interdisciplinary processes, the value of a clear coordination and guidance, assertive communication skills, flexibility and openness towards other disciplines, mutual respect, as well as prior experiences with interdisciplinary processes, were outlined as effective. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/49312/ Sat, 15 Jun 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>P. Manders</div> Den Bosch heeft de ambitie om dé datastad van Nederland te worden. Deze nieuwe profilering is een interessante keuze voor een stad die ook wel ‘de stad van je grootmoeder’ wordt genoemd en in principe als een bourgondisch, gezellig, groot dorp wordt gezien. Aangezien kunst tegenwoordig een onmisbare rol speelt bij de identiteitsvorming van een stad, wordt er in dit onderzoek gekeken naar de verhouding van kunstenaars die werken met technologie tot Den Bosch als datastad. Dit onderzoek bevindt zich daarom op het snijvlak van twee ‘emerging fields’: kunst en technologie, en steden/place-making/kunstenaars. Enerzijds geeft dit onderzoek inzicht in de manier waarop kunstenaars zich tot technologie verhouden. Technologie valt tegenwoordig namelijk niet meer weg te denken uit de samenleving, en het gebruik van technologie is in de kunsten belangrijk op allerlei vlakken. Daarnaast rust een datastad voor het grootste deel op (digitale) technologie. Om deze twee onderwerpen van kunst en datastad aan elkaar te kunnen koppelen is er daarom eerst gekeken naar wat technologie precies betekent voor de kunstenaars, om dit vervolgens te koppelen aan hun ervaringen met en hun betekenis voor Den Bosch als datastad. Anderzijds biedt het onderzoek voor stedelijke beleidsmedewerkers, politici, cultureel ondernemers en kunstenaars inzicht in hoe de stedelijke context effect heeft op de artistieke ambities van kunstenaars en makers in Den Bosch. De onderzoeksvraag die daarom binnen dit onderzoek wordt gesteld, luidt als volgt: Hoe verhouden kunstenaars uit Den Bosch die werken met (digitale) technologie zich tot Den Bosch als datastad? Dit is onderzocht aan de hand van elf diepte-interviews met kunstenaars uit Den Bosch die werken met technologie. Na het afnemen van de interviews zijn de data geanalyseerd aan de hand van een thematische analyse waaruit blijkt dat kunstenaars technologie ervaren als een hulpmiddel. Ondanks dat (digitale) technologie een groot onderdeel uitmaakt van een datastad, hebben zij zelf nog weinig affiniteit met het idee van een datastad, omdat zij hier nog bijna niets over gehoord hebben. Zij kunnen daarom nog niet zo goed aangeven wat een datastad precies voor hen kan betekenen. Toch denken de kunstenaars dat Den Bosch potentie heeft. Hiervoor moet de gemeente echter wel wat veranderingen doorvoeren in haar beleid. Zo zou de gemeente Den Bosch meer en beter moeten communiceren en zorgen voor betrokkenheid door onder met name samen te werken met de lokale gemeenschap. Zij kunnen er namelijk voor zorgen dat Den Bosch als datastad een succes kan worden. Ook kunstenaars kunnen zorgen voor meer betrokkenheid en toegankelijkheid bij het idee van Den Bosch als datastad door middel van bijvoorbeeld visualisatie. Aan de andere kant kunnen zij ook hun kritische blik werpen en daarmee de inwoners wijzen op de gevaren van een datastad. De kunstenaars zien zichzelf dus eigenlijk als sociale actoren die kunnen helpen bij het op de kaart zetten van Den Bosch als datastad, maar voelen zichzelf tegelijkertijd verantwoordelijk om de mens scherp te houden over de negatieve gevolgen hiervan. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/49712/ Fri, 21 Jun 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>B. Alsemgeest</div> With the rise of Web 2.0 and online electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), it became clear that people who are being exposed to large quantities of these online person-to-person eWOM messages have a higher purchase intention and buying behaviour, thus they are more likely to purchase consumer products after viewing such messages. The aim of this study is to investigate BookTube, which is a subset of the YouTube community and which consists of eWOM videos in which BookTubers talk about books and reading. BookTube is still a rather unexplored part of social scientific research, hence why this study aims to explore the relationship between watching BookTube videos on YouTube and the book buying behaviour and reading habits of its viewers. In addition, the book buying behaviour and reading habits of both BookTube viewers and non-BookTube viewers are also compared and explored in more detail by means of an online survey (N = 1264). Results show that there is a positive relationship between watching BookTube videos and the book buying behaviour and reading habits of the viewers and that viewers thus buy and read more books when watching more BookTube videos. Furthermore, viewers buy significantly more books if their motivation to watch BookTube videos is to gain information about new books on the market. On the other hand, viewers buy significantly fewer books if their motivation to watch BookTube videos is to be entertained or to acquire a feeling of community. Lastly, results show that people who watch BookTube videos buy and read significantly more books compared to people who do not watch BookTube videos. It can thus be said that there is a clear relationship between watching BookTube videos and the book buying behaviour and reading habits of its viewers, as well as between the book buying behaviour and reading habits of BookTube viewers and non-BookTube viewers. BookTube viewers thus feel the need to own and read an extensive number of books if they watch a lot of BookTube videos which means that watching BookTube videos plays a significant role in the book buying behaviour and reading habits of its viewers. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/49920/ Mon, 24 Jun 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>M. Peeters</div> Gentrification seems like a perfect instrument when institutional organizations want to upgrade the neighborhood from being deprived to a middle-class playground. The essence of gentrification is to attract the middle-class to an area in order to improve the neighborhood. However, this process has many implications, and this is especially evident to the entrepreneurs in the Zwaanshalskwartier, a neighborhood in the north of Rotterdam. The Zwaanshalskwartier has been experiencing a top-down gentrification process that was started by a social housing corporation. Nevertheless, this process has had mixed successes so far; both residential gentrification and commercial gentrification are on hold, which has been affecting the established entrepreneurs. In this case, the desired target group - the middle class - rarely visits the area and is not able to live there either, which has evidently led to friction between and with the entrepreneurs, and other actors involved. These tensions influence the social identity of the entrepreneurs; it is hard to shape and create a social identity where all entrepreneurs can identify with and are satisfied with as well. These tensions also affect the placemaking process. The creation of a quality place is not possible to establish, because there is no cooperation between the entrepreneurs and involved actors. The practice of top-down gentrification is therefore not always the perfect instrument for improving a deprived neighborhood. Many actors are involved and in order to keep the process going, institutions must ensure that there is little to no imbalance between the residential gentrification and commercial gentrification. To make a top-down gentrification process successful, the institutions responsible for the process should stay involved. This research highlights that the expectation of gentrification can eventually change to an organic process. This change, if all involved in a neighborhood can continue the gentrification on their own without interference from the one responsible for the start of the practice, cannot be confirmed. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/49928/ Mon, 24 Jun 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>B. Dimitrova</div> The growing influence of social media platforms in the strategic communication of businesses is an observable trend. The opportunities that social networking sites provide spread through factors such as ease of viral reach, efficiency in terms of costs and chance for reaching niche audiences. Social media marketing along with brands’ presence online offer both companies and consumers an environment where, on one side, the brand can manifest its identity and, on the other, the consumer can engage with the brand in an informal setting, without feeling bombarded with targeted promotional content. Even though certain businesses use social media platforms to solely showcase their products or services, it becomes apparent that there are other alternatives to this strategy that result in higher engagement levels and more loyal and enthusiastic brand community base. Instagram is a distinctive social media platform as its features are mainly focused on visual communication. This allows brands to create a gallery-like experience but also create a strategy that takes into consideration the perks of the platform and how to use them to engage users. As an on-demand streaming service provider, Netflix sells visual content. Instagram turns out to be a convenient place for the company to promote itself. This research explores the Netflix’ use of the Instagram platform on their US account in search of the types of content Netflix publishes and what kind of brand identity it presents. This project is based on a qualitative content analysis of 170 Instagram posts gathered from the Netflix US account. Within the theoretical framework, concepts such as social media marketing, band engagement, brand community building, brand loyalty and brand identity are described and incorporated in analyzing the company’s marketing efforts online. This study established that Netflix combines the visualization platform’s ability to display its brand identity and build a brand community but through using distinctive humorous brand voice, representation of a positive and light attitude, expression of witty opinions and emotions. The findings indicate that the advertised content is mainly focused on shows streaming on Netflix, but strong attention is also paid to the cast of Netflix Originals. This study is scientifically relevant as it acquires understanding of how specific features of Instagram are used to establish brand communities through published content. The project simultaneously contributes to gaining academic knowledge about a media innovator in the digital age, Netflix, and the use of social media marketing on a rapidly growing platform such as Instagram. Furthermore, this research is socially relevant as it offers an external perspective of Netflix communication strategy which can serve the company itself, but also other brands interested in the implementation of Instagram in their marketing. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/49926/ Mon, 24 Jun 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>A. Hendrikx</div> Although linear television is still an important player in our mediascape, the television industry has surely undergone a major transformation in the last decade. Subscription video on demand services such as Hulu and Netflix are now household staples, allowing the latter to become an authority in both content distribution and production. Netflix is also often exalted for its admirable presence on social media. Social media, like subscription video on demand services, are a major part of the contemporary mediascape. Although social media have been noticeably present for over a decade now, social media based brand communities (SMBBCs) have only started gaining ground in recent years. Nonetheless, consumers and brands alike are now vigorously using SMBBCs to connect with brands and (peer) fans. Since they are relatively new, in-depth research into specific social media based brand communities is slim and Netflix’s brand community has not been studied yet. One could assume that Netflix has a flourishing brand community, as the brand has 58 million fans on Facebook and is often praised for its social media marketing. To research the validity of this assumption, a qualitative thematic analysis was conducted on 100 posts and 826 comments from Netflix’s US Facebook page. The main research question for this study was: How is Netflix employing brand community relationship management on its US Facebook page? To guide this analysis, Ang’s (2011) three pillars of community relationship management were operationalized and utilized to assess Netflix’s conduct, leading to three main themes emerging from the data. The first theme, lopsided dedication, describes the tension between parts of the community that Netflix is dedicated to and other community management duties that the brand is seemingly ignoring. The second theme, predominant humanization, narrates how the brand employs a human voice, but also shows that its fans often deny these efforts. The theme fan entitlement reveals how displeased fans are generally negative towards the brand, which is a likely consequence of Netflix generally ignoring them. The results of this study show that brands should keep in mind that community relationship management is a continuous, iterate process that requires dedication on multiple fronts. This is something that Netflix itself could strive to perfect as well, as this study found few traces of community relationship management efforts from Netflix. In addition, this study has also provided a framework, inspired on the aforementioned pillars, for community relationship management that is useful for brands in designing their own community management strategies and for scholars in examining specific SMBBCs and the management of those communities. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/49918/ Wed, 26 Jun 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>A. Keicher</div> Since the rise of social networking sites (SNS) much research has been carried out regarding their effects on journalism (Gulyas, 2013; Hedman & Djerf-Pierre, 2013; Hermida, 2012; Newman, 2009; Arenberg & Lowrey, 2019; Lischka, 2018). At the same time, the public’s trust in news organizations has been shown to be quite low in many western countries, with only half or less of the population of said countries claiming to trust the news (Newman et al., 2017). However, no study has examined whether the SNS themselves play a part in forming the readers’ perception of trustworthiness. Because of this, this study investigated the following research question by focusing on a specific news organization: What role does the social media presence of De Groene Amsterdammer play in its subscribers’ perceptions of trustworthiness of the magazine itself? Considering that the majority of trust research has been carried out in quantitative manner, this study instead approached the problem from a qualitative method. Through the use of semi-structure interviews and a thematic analysis, the factors which drive the respondents’ perception of and trust in De Groene Amsterdammer were established. It was found that worries related to the commercialization of news subtract from the quality of and trust in the news. Moreover, a link between trust and perception was established. The specific characteristics of De Groene Amsterdammer as identified by the respondents were also shown to be part of the motivations for reading the magazine. The concept of trust was investigated in depth. The research first showed the applicability of Kohring and Matthes’s (2007) quantitative scale for measuring generalized trust also in a qualitative research about trust in a single news organization. Moreover, it showed that other aspects in addition to the dimension identified by Kohring and Matthes (2007) contribute to influencing trust: a positive evaluation of journalistic sources, the presentation of coverage confirmative of the respondents’ ideas, and the existence of a background of trust. The respondents’ perception of the Groene’s strategy was also detailed, including its limitations. While the magazine’s strategy was not found to have changed the respondents’ trust in the magazine, it did positively color the perception of the magazine of a few respondents, bringing in questions of the necessity of future studies on this subject. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/49915/ Wed, 26 Jun 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>A. van Haaften</div> In deze masterthesis wordt gekeken naar de representatie van de islam en moslims in Nederlandse kranten. De sociale groep van moslims wordt regelmatig negatief gerepresenteerd door zowel internationale als Nederlandse media. Veel onderzoek naar de representatie van de islam en moslims in de media is gedateerd en kijkt niet specifiek naar binnenlandse discussies rondom de islam en moslims. Om deze reden staat in de onderzoeksvraag centraal hoe de islam en moslims worden gerepresenteerd in recente nieuwsartikelen (28 februari 2017 – 28 februari 2019) over binnenlandse discussies in Nederlandse kranten. Krantenartikelen over de volgende drie onderwerpen zijn meegenomen: moskeeën, de hoofddoekjesdiscussie en islamitische feestdagen. Door middel van een kwalitatieve inhoudsanalyse (thematische analyse) zijn in totaal 45 artikelen geanalyseerd uit de vier grootste kranten: De Telegraaf, de Volkskrant, het NRC Handelsblad en het Algemeen Dagblad. De artikelen zijn verzameld via de online database LexisNexis. De resultaten van dit onderzoek tonen aan dat er binnen de berichtgeving over moskeeën een negatief discours heerst, terwijl er binnen de berichtgeving over de hoofddoekjesdiscussie en islamitische feestdagen zowel een positief als negatief discours naar voren komt. Dit laat zien dat Nederlandse kranten twee van de drie onderwerpen op ambivalente manier belichten. Concluderend kan er worden gesteld dat er binnen de krantenartikelen processen van Othering te herkennen vallen, voornamelijk binnen artikelen over de bouw en financiering van moskeeën. Echter komt dit ook naar voren binnen artikelen over de hoofddoekjesdiscussie en islamitische feestdagen, onder andere doordat negatieve geluiden vanuit de maatschappij worden meegenomen door de kranten. Daarnaast wordt het dragen van de hoofddoek op de werkvloer samen met islamitische feestdagen gerepresenteerd als ofwel onderdeel van de Nederlandse samenleving ofwel iets cultureel afwijkends. Tot slot geven de kranten in de berichtgeving wel een stem aan de sociale groep van moslims door ze aan het woord te laten komen, maar slechts in beperkte mate. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/49924/ Thu, 27 Jun 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>M. Gelo</div> Inspired by the growth of e-retail sector in the 21st century, the aim of this thesis was to explore how effective are Amazon’s recommendations in persuading customers and influencing their purchase choices. The questionnaire survey with Likert scales was performed on Amazon’s users in order to compare the influences of Amazon’s recommendations with other notable influences on purchase choice as well as to measure if the persuasion coping mechanisms affect the likelihood of being influenced by them. Findings indicate that Amazon’s recommendations have higher influence on purchase decisions when compared to the marketing communication, and lesser when compared to word of mouth and price-quality ratio of the product as perceived by costumers. This suggests that despite the trend of algorithmic appreciation among users of online platforms, they still put more trust in online reviews, friends’ advices and their own judgment regarding the value of products than in recommender algorithms on Amazon’s website. However, research also shows that Amazon’s recommendations are more successful in influencing the purchase choice of those who are more likely to elaborate the recommendations that they get from Amazon. Also, those who tend to appreciate the recommendations due to their service of user personalization are also more influenced by them. It can be therefore concluded that since those who critically assess recommendations find that there is a reason to trust them. Amazon’s marketers could therefore work more on campaigning to emphasize the advantages of recommendations and their personalizing aspects in order to rival the other influences on purchase choice. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/49719/ Thu, 27 Jun 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>J. Venema</div> With the widespread, international audience that Netflix has around the globe, questions arise surrounding Netflix’ brand management, specifically in the continuously fluctuating online space of one of the largest social media platforms: Instagram. Hence, this research analyses how Netflix establishes and maintains its brand image globally, and examines the role of national and cultural borders in Netflix’ brand strategy. This is done by examining Netflix’ branding in the Indian and Dutch market, as these nations are found to be significantly different in cultural values. Focussing on social media branding, posts published by Netflix on the Instagram accounts dedicated to India and the Netherlands are analysed in a qualitative content analysis that combines inductive and deductive analysis, to syndicate current academic theory with new findings in this confined field of international branding. Analysis is performed on n = 80 posts from each account: a total of n = 160 Instagram posts. The results reveal significant differences as well similarities between the Indian and Dutch Instagram accounts, and indicate that Netflix employs a combination of local and global elements in communicating its brand on Instagram in India and the Netherlands. The posts of both accounts suit the specific cultural dimensions as defined by Hofstede (n.d.; 2011) to some extent, yet paradoxical relations are also observed frequently. Netflix is branded as a uniform brand internationally, hinting towards standardization, yet in-depth analysis shows a significant amount of local elements implemented in the content, indicating localization. Therefore, it is argued that the image transferability of Netflix’ brand is best understood as a combination of global –and local consumer culture positioning (Alden et al., 1999; Okazaki & Taylor, 2013). Netflix’ branding strategy on Instagram in India and the Netherlands both are best understood within the contingency approach as strategies where local elements are found important in increasing consumer culture positioning whilst maintaining the internationally established brand that Netflix is today. The findings contribute to the academic field of international advertising and the complex role that cultural and social borders play in this. The findings are also relevant in the practical field of managing an international brand on social media, and the consideration of cultural and societal differences in doing so. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/49309/ Thu, 27 Jun 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>A. Gushchina</div> Orange Is the New Black is the television series which began in 2013. The series focuses on the life of prisoners in a fictional female prison and inspired by the memoir of Piper Kerman. The series claim to be very representative for both race and sexuality and to highlight social issues. The term intersectionality today is broadly used to depict the interplay between any kinds of discrimination, it also explains the interconnected nature of social categories. Thus, the research will state in which ways gender, race and sexuality is interconnected in the series. This study will expand upon previous research on intersectionality of gender, race and sexuality, taking the concepts as social contacts and the media representation of women. As a research method qualitative analysis both verbal and visual is used, in particular Goffman’s analysis of gender displays to examine the fourth season of the series. The analysis of gender display is advanced in this research, as originally it examines men and women in the photo advertisement, in this study I examine only women and explore the power disbalance within women in the television series, which is more complicated than photos. I will explore how gender, race and sexuality are intersecting within the series, by analyzing each episode of season number four with six categories of Goffman gender displays. I argue that there are many ways of gender, race and sexuality to interconnect in this series, as there are different races and different sexual orientations are presented. The show gives visibility to many minority women including transgender women. Though, the diversity is still not at its peak, as all Latina women who are represented in this series are straight, when other races have diverse sexualities. The study is limited as it only examines the fourth season of Orange Is the New Black, further studies should continue to analyze the series with intersectional approach taking into account more seasons and even more intersecting categories, such as class. Further research should also examine how the concepts are dependent on each other in the complex identities of the characters and their stories, which continue through the seasons. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/49922/ Thu, 27 Jun 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>M. Schenk</div> Nieuws is van groot belang voor de maatschappij. Het bepaalt het functioneren van de democratie, doordat het mensen in staat stelt om zich te informeren over wat er gebeurt in de wereld. Dit kan mensen helpen bij het vormen van een mening en het nemen van beslissingen. Het is dan ook belangrijk dat het nieuws zo accuraat mogelijk is. Met de komst van sociale media als nieuwsplatforms wordt deze accuraatheid echter steeds meer in twijfel getrokken. Zo komen er steeds meer discussies tot stand over de verspreiding van nepnieuws en de eenzijdige nieuwsconsumptie door algoritmes. Het blijkt dat voornamelijk jongvolwassenen veelvuldig van sociale media gebruik maken voor hun nieuwsconsumptie en de traditionele journalistiek niet meer vertrouwen. Dit onderzoek zal zich richten op de ervaring van geloofwaardigheid van jongvolwassenen over het nieuws op sociale media. De hoofdvraag die centraal staat tijdens dit onderzoek, luidt als volgt: Hoe ervaren Nederlandse jongvolwassenen tussen de 20 en 30 jaar de geloofwaardigheid van nieuws op sociale media? Om inzicht te geven in de geloofwaardigheidsbeleving zijn er 14 kwalitatieve diepteinterviews uitgevoerd met Nederlandse jongvolwassenen in de leeftijd tussen de 20 en 30 jaar. Door middel van thematische analyse, van de transcripten, werd duidelijk dat jongvolwassenen de voorkeur hebben om selectief te zijn in hun nieuwsconsumptie. Ze zijn enkel geïnteresseerd in de geloofwaardigheid van nieuws, wanneer het onderwerp voor hen interessant is. Ook ervaren ze berichten met politieke standpunten, die aansluiten op eigen politieke perspectief, als geloofwaardig, terwijl berichten geschreven vanuit een ander perspectief ervaren worden als ongeloofwaardig. Daar en tegen blijkt uit dit onderzoek ook dat jongvolwassenen voornamelijk nieuws consumeren van traditionele nieuwsorganisaties. Deze organisaties hebben een goede reputatie opgebouwd, waardoor jongvolwassenen het nieuws dat door hen gecommuniceerd wordt, als geloofwaardig ervaren. Hierbij waarderen jongvolwassenen voornamelijk de objectiviteit van de nieuwsorganisaties. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/56161/ Mon, 01 Jul 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>Soares, Jaleesa</div> De film Black Panther wordt geprezen om haar representatie van Afrika als een rijk werelddeel en de aanwezigheid van donkere acteurs en actrices in de film. Alhoewel er met veel lof over de film wordt gesproken is er ook sprake van controversie rondom de film omdat er in de film voornamelijk donkere acteurs en actrices spelen. Om te onderzoeken in hoeverre Nederlandse millennials waarde geven aan de representatie van ras in de film Black Panther is de volgende hoofdvraag opgesteld; Hoe geven Nederlandse millennials betekenis aan rassenrepresentatie in de film Black Panther? Het onderzoek is uitgevoerd door middel van literatuuronderzoek en door het verrichten van focusgroepen. Er zijn vijf focusgroepen uitgevoerd met vierentwintig Nederlandse millennials, die tussen de 16 jaar en 34 jaar oud zijn. De data uit deze focusgroepen zijn getranscribeerd en thematisch geanalyseerd. Uit deze analyse zijn er vier thema’s gecreëerd: film/kijkgedrag van Nederlandse millennials, kijk op representatie in de media, beoordeling van de film Black Panther en kijk op representatie in de film Black Panther. Uit de resultaten van het onderzoek blijkt dat Nederlandse millennials betekenis geven aan rassenrepresentatie door middel van de representaties van vrouwen en de representatie van Afrika als rijk werelddeel in de film Black Panther. Hierbij worden de donkere vrouwen in de film Black Panther bestempeld als slim en onafhankelijk door de respondenten. Afrika als rijk werelddeel in de film Black Panther wordt bestempeld als een vooruitstrevend beeld van Afrika wat strookt met stereotyperende beelden van Afrika als arm werelddeel wat niet voort kan bestaan zonder de hulp van de Westerse wereld. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/56140/ Mon, 01 Jul 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>Manders, Pip</div> https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/49914/ Mon, 01 Jul 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>L. Emrichova</div> Music plays an essential part of our everyday lives and often serves as a representation of people’s tastes, values and beliefs. Musical identity illustrates the combination of these aspects among a particular group of people who engage in the same style of music and provides the basis for studying the development of music and its impact on the society. In the early 2010’s a number of adolescents independently shared their beats on the streaming service of SoundCloud and created a new subgenre of emo rap. Emo rap has a unique aesthetic of emotional lyrics with a dark and depressive character, sparking controversy and was the fastest growing genre of 2018 on Spotify. That is why, this research is set out to explore the construction of musical identity of emo rap, by taking a closer look at the artists’ lifestyle and the societal issues they are concerned with. It is expected that musical identity is closely connected to the lifestyle choices these adolescents make and how they present their ideas about the current state of the society. The sub-genre emo rap has not been academically researched before and the aim of this study is to contribute to the existing literature about musical identity with this contemporary sub-genre and to explore the youth development in the 21st century. The foundation for this study was primarily found in literature about identity development, youth development and musical genres of emo and hip-hop/rap. The research was done by a qualitative thematic content analysis of pre-recorded interviews with these artists and short reflections about them, providing a closer look to their background, beliefs and musical production. Three main themes emerged after analyzing the data: self-expression, musical production and concerns over today’s society. The core finding about this group of rappers was the fluidity of their identity, whether it is shifting their style of musical production or appearance. The main reason for this is their aversion towards mainstream values and tendency to challenge the rigid lines of the society, labelling and categorization. This is also represented by their diverse cultural influence, particularly the positive attitude towards Japanese culture, watching anime and the apparent influence of Japanese culture in their artwork aesthetics. These artists talked about their experience with depression and anxiety which eventually fueled their music, served as a self-expression and helped them battle these feelings. At the same time, there was a strong collectiveness and support amongst these young musicians, which enabled them to develop as artists and caused the sub-genre to grow. Future study should focus on the audiences of emo rap, its influence and their perception towards it. Additionally, the impact of Japanese culture on these youngsters was an interesting finding and it could be interesting to further explore the reason behind its influence on the Western culture. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/49917/ Mon, 01 Jul 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>J. Buitendijk</div> This study explores the case of millennials watching the popular sitcom Friends (1994-2004), with an emphasis on how they give meaning to the series in contemporary society. Friends is about six friends in their twenties, living in New York. The series has always been popular and available through reruns on broadcast television, but since it is available via Netflix, its popularity has grown, together with the critique on the series. And the most striking thing about this renewed interest in the series is that it mainly comes from people from the millennial generation, a new audience. This contemporary popularity of Friends can be explained as part of a bigger phenomenon, where a lot of 1970s, 1980s and 1990s television series get remakes, revivals, prequels and sequels. This study tries to explain this phenomenon, with a specific focus on the case of Friends by answering the research question: How do millennials give meaning to the 90s sitcom Friends in today’s world? This study addresses theory from television studies, audience studies and more particular fan studies. The research that is conducted here consists of 13 qualitative, semi-structured interviews with millennials between 19 and 23 years old. The data from these interviews was analysed using the thematic analysis method, five main themes were identified in this analysis. The study found that the motivations to watch Friends are mainly based on recommendations from others, and the easy storyline about the daily lives of the characters. The millennials did not identify with specific characters that much, but they could identify with the stage of life that the characters are in, which made the series overall recognizable for them. What they enjoyed a lot about the series is that it is from the 1990s. For the millennials, this created some sort of nostalgia towards this era even though they have not experienced this era very active themselves. Most of the interviewees even considered themselves fans of Friends and participated in other activities related to the series. Additionally, the preferred Friends over similar, more recent, comedy series like How I Met Your Mother and Modern Family. The reason why they preferred Friends is how they address societal themes and how it is easy to follow and watch when doing something else. When addressing the contemporary critique on the whiteness, and some of the jokes in the series they did not agree at all and argued that for them there were no problematic aspects to Friends. All these aspects together show how the millennials give meaning to Friends in today’s society. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/56269/ Mon, 01 Jul 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>Zweers, Elke</div> Nowadays, social media is becoming increasingly important for building a brand for startups. For newly established enterprises in the eSports scene, the use of social media for branding is also highly relevant. Although the scene is rather young, yet growing tremendously, previous academic literature has barely examined the cybersport industry. Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory study is to examine the following research question: How do startups in the eSports industry use social media for developing their brand? Furthermore, it aims to – partly – fill the gap in academic literature regarding eSports companies, and their social media branding practices. In order to answer the research question, the research examines a Russian startup in the eSports industry. Data is gathered from a total of 11 qualitative interviews with core staff of this newly established enterprise, as well as other industry insiders. Subsequently, this data is coded and examined by way of thematic analysis. From the analysis and interpretation of the findings, three core ideas occurred: 1) social media is crucial for the branding of any company in the cybersport scene, 2) whereas co-creation or the inclusion of external people in the processes of the company are discouraged, the personal network of the stakeholders, and adopting and maintaining a professional attitude in the social media presence, are highly important for creating loyal customers in the eSports industry, and 3) the eSports industry has a specific audience which makes that in the social media marketing strategy a) content should be prioritized, and b) the design elements are of considerable importance as well. Finally, the current research hints at a strongly integrated international component. On one hand, the eSports industry seemingly operates transnationally. On the other hand, social media supposedly has a global reach. Nevertheless, the analysis of the Russian startup reveals that cultural diversity and preferences still bear heavily on the effect of the internet. This means that, in order to effectively reach a global audience, social media marketing strategies have to be locally adjusted. Therefore, this thesis lays a good foundation for further comparative research. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/56117/ Mon, 01 Jul 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>Gushchina, Anastasia</div> Orange Is the New Black is the television series which began in 2013. The series focuses on the life of prisoners in a fictional female prison and inspired by the memoir of Piper Kerman. The series claim to be very representative for both race and sexuality and to highlight social issues. The term intersectionality today is broadly used to depict the interplay between any kinds of discrimination, it also explains the interconnected nature of social categories. Thus, the research will state in which ways gender, race and sexuality is interconnected in the series. This study will expand upon previous research on intersectionality of gender, race and sexuality, taking the concepts as social contacts and the media representation of women. As a research method qualitative analysis both verbal and visual is used, in particular Goffman’s analysis of gender displays to examine the fourth season of the series. The analysis of gender display is advanced in this research, as originally it examines men and women in the photo advertisement, in this study I examine only women and explore the power disbalance within women in the television series, which is more complicated than photos. I will explore how gender, race and sexuality are intersecting within the series, by analyzing each episode of season number four with six categories of Goffman gender displays. I argue that there are many ways of gender, race and sexuality to interconnect in this series, as there are different races and different sexual orientations are presented. The show gives visibility to many minority women including transgender women. Though, the diversity is still not at its peak, as all Latina women who are represented in this series are straight, when other races have diverse sexualities. The study is limited as it only examines the fourth season of Orange Is the New Black, further studies should continue to analyze the series with intersectional approach taking into account more seasons and even more intersecting categories, such as class. Further research should also examine how the concepts are dependent on each other in the complex identities of the characters and their stories, which continue through the seasons. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/49913/ Mon, 01 Jul 2019 00:00:01 GMT <div>D. Leenders</div> The purpose of this research is to analyze the impact of social media influencers on consumers’ attitude, awareness and purchase intention of sustainable fashion. In recent years, the fashion industry has become the second most polluting industry in the world. Fast fashion has increased the quantity of clothes, while decreasing the quality. In an attempt to stop the negative impact, sustainable fashion is produced. Sustainable fashion focuses on environmentally friendly materials, fair trade principles, and changing consumers’ mindset. While making decisions for a purchase, consumers are searching for new ways to gather information that could guide them. Social media influencers (SMIs) have proven to be very effective for promoting fast fashion and influencing attitude towards a product. Yet, fast fashion is not the same as sustainable fashion. The latter has more than a product to sell; it is also the awareness towards the environmental and societal issues. Attitude and awareness can both be influenced by SMIs, but they can also play a mediating role in influencing consumers’ intention to purchase. This research tests if SMIs can perform the same promotional role for sustainable fashion as they do for fast fashion. An experimental 2x2x2 factorial design tests the effect of three specific characteristics of SMIs and influencer marketing—expertise, attractiveness, and message content— on consumers’ attitude, awareness and purchase intention. The experiment was conducted among 240 participants. The data yielded a respondents group consisting of females with an average age 23 predominantly living in the Netherlands. They were presented a manipulated Instagram post. After the exposure, participants answered questions regarding their attitude towards sustainable fashion, general and specific awareness towards the environmental and social issues, and purchase intention. The research demonstrated that the characteristics of the SMI that were tested were not effective in influencing the attitude, awareness, or purchase intention. Instead, only when participants recognized the brand did the message content and attractiveness influence attitude and awareness. Yet, the fast fashion message was more effective than the sustainable fashion message. Additionally, neither of the characteristics, whether respondents recognized the brand or not, had an impact on the purchase intention. The result was the same for the direct effect and for the mediated effect on purchase intention through attitude and awareness. This shows that the same mechanism that is effective for fast fashion might not be effective for sustainable fashion, at least not on the platform Instagram. The implications that can be made from these results are that sustainable brands should first focus on making their brand a household name in the movement to change the fashion industry, and organizations should explore other media channels to share their information to consumers because Instagram SMIs are not effective.