This dissertation offers a camp reading of five animated sitcoms from three sets of primary auteurs – Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, American Dad!), Matt Groening (The Simpsons, Futurama), and Trey Parker and Matt Stone (South Park). Chapter 1 provides an overview of the study, in…
True crime is a vibrant strand of popular culture that has been long-established in media practices. While typically understood as a niche genre that satisfies the public’s appetite for sensationalism, true crime has demonstrated a consistent readiness to change media method, se…
This thesis studies the proliferation of conspiracy theories, specifically QAnon, to determine how the media environment, including various media channels, audiences, and messages, played a factor in the group’s growth. QAnon grew from a relatively obscure branch of the alt-righ…
In the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama established social media as an essential part of the campaign toolbox. Twitter, a widely-used social media site, provides a means of creating virtual communities that can instantly send messages and move "followers" to action. This…
