Seven current graduate students in the Illinois State University School of Communication will present at the National Communication Association’s (NCA) 110th Annual Convention, which will be held November 21-24, 2024, in New Orleans. Participating in this national convention offers these students the opportunity to showcase their research, engage with fellow scholars, and receive recognition for their academic achievements.
Of the seven graduate students, five will be presenting papers: Hannah Delorto, Kate Mueller, Alina Niftulaeva, Makayla Roller, and Miriam Wolff. Isaac Asare Kwakye and Raechel Zoellick will present as panelists. School of Communication faculty and other graduate students will also be in attendance.
Hannah Delorto
Fake News and Marketing: When Brands are the Target of Misinformation
Tell us about your research.
“This rhetorical analysis looks at the impact of a social media post on X containing fake news (and subsequent posts spreading misinformation) on Target in 2023. The false claims led to a massive boycott—which caused Target to lose 10 billion in market valuation in 10 days. Something of such influence is surely deserving of my research interest and time.”
What was your inspiration for this study?
“Before grad school, I interned at a local marketing firm, so I’m very interested in the industry. As brands, like Pepsi and Target, experience real reputational threats (like stock price drops) from fake news associated with their company, I think this intersection of brands with misinformation is relevant socially, culturally, and economically.”
Are there any faculty or staff members who guided your research?
“All my thanks go to the persuasion seminar I took this spring. My classmates gave honest feedback and Dr. Joseph Zompetti assisted me greatly in my understanding and application of rhetorical methods. Within the seminar, I engaged in a thought-provoking interview with ISU’s very own WGLT and The Vidette for their series discussing democracy and misinformation. These many conversations inspired me to continue my research.”
Kate Mueller
The True Reflection of Beauty: A Thematic Analysis Looking at Gender Representation in the Beauty Industry Through Advertisements
Tell us about your research.
“This study examines gender representation and diversity as portrayed in advertisements produced by the beauty industry. I conducted a thematic analysis of 25 popular film advertisements from the past three years. In this study, I examined the beauty industry’s past use of gender representation and their contribution to gender stereotypes while also looking at how currently these brands are striving to become more inclusive regarding race and body diversity but are often leaving out gender. I look at popular marketing tactics such as ‘femvertising’ to examine the way in which companies work to target specific genders. In my research, I found through the examination of visual images that these popular advertisements focus on depictions of over-sexualization, natural beauty, intersectionality, strength, and power to produce gender targeted advertisements when selling their beauty products.”
What was your inspiration for this study?
“I’ve always been fascinated by the beauty industry, especially because I follow a lot of beauty influencers and brands online. Over the past few years, I’ve noticed a growing trend toward inclusivity in the beauty industry, which inspired me to explore this idea further. I decided to analyze beauty brands’ advertisements because I wanted to assess how inclusive they truly are in their advertisement representations. While many brands have made progress in representing diverse races, ages, and body sizes, I quickly realized there is still a significant gap in representing different genders. I believe research like this is important because it sheds light on where the industry can further improve.”
Are there any faculty or staff members who guided your research?
I wrote this paper while in Dr. John Baldwin’s qualitative research methods class.
Alina Niftulaeva
Words, words, words: Participants Do Not Read or Regard Consent Forms in Communication Research
Coauthors: Daria Parfenova, M.S. ‘24, and Caleb Carr
Tell us about your research.
“My research explores how participants in communication studies engage with informed consent documents, revealing that most do not spend enough time on them to fully read or comprehend the information. On average, participants spent just 35.4 seconds on these forms—far too little to absorb even the basic content. Interestingly, factors like the length and readability of the documents, as well as gender differences, did not significantly influence the time participants spent on them. These findings highlight a serious issue: while informed consent is crucial, current practices may not actually ensure that participants are making informed decisions.”
What was your inspiration for this study?
“I was inspired to take on this research because informed consent is a critical ethical component of human subjects research, and I wanted to investigate whether participants truly engage with the consent forms provided.”
Are there any faculty or staff members who guided your research?
“I conducted this research in collaboration with Dr. Caleb Carr and Daria Parfenova, M.S. ’24, who has already graduated. Dr. Carr shared innovative and promising methodologies with us to address this complex topic, and I’m excited to present it at the 110th Annual NCA Conference in New Orleans.”
Makayla Roller and Miriam Wolff
“It’s Likely Your Mother’s Fault:” Incel Ideology and Female Family Members
Tell us about your research.
“This study examines how incels (involuntary celibates) communities’ misogynistic views affect relations with female family members. Analyzing 30 online incel forum threads, researchers identified four themes in discussions about female relatives: sexual degradation, normalizing violence, blaming mothers for inceldom, and imposing traditional gender roles. Results show that incels’ misogynistic worldviews extend to female family members, demonstrating how online radicalization impacts family relationships. This research provides new insights into misogynistic extremism’s effects on domestic communication.”
What was your inspiration for this study?
Roller: “Miriam proposed the idea of researching incel communities. I found this concept intriguing and relevant, particularly given the prevalence of incel rhetoric on social media platforms. I recognized the importance of examining incels’ perceptions of women within their families, as these views often stem from and reinforce traditional gender roles. This research not only provides insight into a current social phenomenon but also illuminates how extremist ideologies can impact family dynamics.”
Wolff: “My interest in researching incel communities stemmed from my observations of incel terminology permeating various digital spaces. What really struck me was how this ideology seemed to be escaping its original niche forums and seeping into mainstream social media. This shift made me wonder about real-world reflections. We’ve seen incidents where online radicalization has led to violence. It made me realize how crucial it is to understand this phenomenon not just as an online curiosity, but as sometime that can have serious offline impacts—even in somewhere as intimate as communication in familial interpersonal relationships.”
Are there any faculty or staff members who guided your research?
“Yes, we conducted this study during Dr. Lindsey Thomas’s 410: Family Communication course. Dr. Thomas challenged us to evaluate our research from many critical perspectives, helping us produce a work we were proud to submit to NCA.”
Isaac Asare Kwakye
Panel Title: Not Our Friends Anymore? A Panel Discussion on the Rise of Anti-Western and Decolonial Sentiments in Africa and its implication on Africa’s Foreign Relations
Tell us about the purpose of your panel.
“We will be looking at the impact of colonialism on Africa’s current political sphere. We will be talking about how historical colonial practices have shaped Africa’s foreign policy goals, relationships with external powers, and overall agency in the global arena.”
What was your inspiration for joining this panel?
“I am more interested in political rhetoric and afrocentric research. My scholarships here at ISU have been on presidential rhetoric in Ghana, Nigeria, and Tunisia, along with my ongoing thesis on the rhetoric of Coup d’état in Africa. These interests are what excite me to be part of this panel.”
Are there any faculty or staff members who guided your interest?
“I’ve been fortunate to have the guidance of several inspiring faculty members. Dr. Joseph Zompetti, Dr. John Baldwin, Dr. Steve Rahko, Dr. Andrew Ventimiglia, Dr. Pete Smudde among others have all played significant roles in shaping my academic interests at ISU.”
Raechel Zoellick
Panel Title: Get on board the Mentorship: Building Lasting Connections in Forensics Coaching Staffs
Tell us about the purpose of your panel.
“The panel discusses the mentor relationship between directors of forensics and graduate assistants.”
What was your inspiration for joining this panel?
“Forensics asks a lot of its competitors and coaches. Days of travel, hours of coaching students and logistics work, and being there as a confidante or support system for students as they navigate the high levels of commitment associated with competitive speech and debate especially takes a lot on graduate assistants who are fulfilling these roles in addition to school and coursework. It’s very easy to experience burnout or generally struggle to balance everything which renders full-time coaches or directors of forensics a significant help in providing support and guidance for graduate assistants.”
Are there any faculty or staff members who guided your interest?
“Nick Steinmetz (a faculty member in ISU’s School of Communication) was my GA and invited me to participate on this panel. Additionally, Megan Koch and Ryan Tinlin have been key players in supporting me as an undergraduate competitor and graduate coach, and they sparked my interest in coaching collegiate speech for the foreseeable future.”
