What do We Say Now? An Analysis of Mass Communication and Advertising for the Prevention of Sexual Assault

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Date

2016-06

Authors

Summers, Jesse

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

University of Oregon

Abstract

Sexual assault has become a prevalent issue in recent years. From university campuses to the White House, the issue is being discussed and addressed in many different ways. This thesis specifically discusses the It's On Us and No More campaigns as well as two pieces of popular media used to spread awareness of the issue of sexual assault. The Transtheoretical Model of Change, a social health model used to understand an individual's willingness to change their behavior, is used as a basis for analyzing the videos produced for these campaigns and categorizing them based on their potential to influence a viewer's behavior. Semiotic analysis is used to analyze specific content in each video and associate the videos with stages in the Transtheoretical Model of Change. Initial results showed that many of the current videos focus on creating awareness and are associated with the pre-contemplation or contemplation stages. However, analyzing specific links between the videos and other campaign content such as websites shows potential for viewers to move beyond the early stages of the model. This research and the areas outlined for further research are critical for expanding communication literature, applying theory to media content, and expanding research done in the intersection of social health and mass communication.

Description

79 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Journalism and Communication and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Arts, Spring 2016.

Keywords

Advertising, Journalism, Mass communications, Sexual assault prevention, Social health, Communication theory, Transtheoretical Model of Change

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