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EMPOWERING NARRATIVES OR MARKETING STRATEGY? NIGERIAN AUDIENCE REACTIONS TO FEMVERTISING IN THE “JOY SOAP ‘MY LIFE, MY SCRIPT’ CAMPAIGN”
No full textGuided by Feminist Theory, this thesis examines how audience responses to Joy Soap’s ‘My Life, My Script’ campaign reflect, reinforce, or resist dominant gender norms in Nigerian society. Positioned as a form of femvertising, the campaign aims to challenge traditional expectations placed on women and promote narratives of empowerment. However, audience reactions reveal a complex negotiation of cultural values, personal experiences, and shifting gender ideologies.
This study uses Critical Discourse Analysis to examine purposively sampled comments from the campaign’s Instagram comment section, focusing on four selected episodes. The analysis identifies discursive patterns that reveal key themes, including the reinforcement and resistance of traditional gender roles, evolving perspectives on femininity and motherhood, the complexities surrounding financial independence, body image, and the rejection of endurance culture that often glorifies women’s suffering. The study also captures public responses to Joy Soap’s corporate social responsibility efforts, with reactions ranging from appreciation to skepticism about the authenticity of the brand’s advocacy.
Findings indicate that while some users uphold conventional gender expectations, many others challenge these norms, using the comment section as a space for critique, dialogue, and redefinition. The discourse sparked by the campaign reflects an ongoing cultural shift in gender perceptions and highlights the role of social media as a site for negotiating societal change.
This research contributes to scholarship on feminist media studies, gender discourse, and public engagement in African contexts. It emphasizes the importance of audience voices in evaluating the impact of empowerment-oriented marketing and understanding how discourse shapes and contests social norms
Evaluating Accuracy in Legal Research: A Comparative Analysis of Traditional and Artificial Intelligence-Driven Methods
Get PDFLegal professionals are challenged with performing accurate legal research to meet professional standards. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) presents a potential for enhanced efficiency. However, knowledge and process gaps exist, questioning the accuracy of results generated by AI. The uncertainty of accurate results poses a risk for poor outcomes for all stakeholders. This thesis aimed to quantitatively measure the accuracy of AI legal research in comparison to traditional legal research. Accuracy and relevance were measured by analyzing case precedent results using three legal research platforms, Westlaw, Nexis Uni, and Chat GPT. The three platforms represented traditional and AI-driven research, free access and paid subscriptions. Queries (n=25) were designed by an attorney, experienced in legal research. The queries were designed in both Boolean and Natural Language Processing (NLP) formats and represented federal and state cases, as well as an array of the most common legal practice specialties. The most accurate combination of legal research was Westlaw with Boolean queries. Eight percent of the AI-driven Chat GPT results yielded hallucinated non-existent cases. Results align with findings and concerns published in current peer-review literature, and the results validated the anecdotal assumption among some specialists in legal bibliography that Boolean queries consistently out-perform NLP. Implications for practice include the continuation of Boolean language use and education, the need for education surrounding the optimal use of AI, and the need for a validation system
The Paradox of Conspiracy: Free Speech, Open Media, and Perilous Persuasion
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Reducing Suicide Ideation Through Healthcare Provider Training in the Use of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) In A Rural Community Mental Health Clinic
Get PDFThis doctoral project aimed to address the inconsistent and inadequate assessment of suicide risk by healthcare professionals in a Rural Community Clinic. Staff members do not comprehensively understand the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale and vary in how they screen patients before the intervention. When we looked at the baseline, we found that only 45% of charts contained suicide risk screening, and C-SSRS was used in only 5% of cases. Some of the main obstacles reported were not properly training staff and keeping patients from sharing their thoughts on this subject.
The main objective of the doctoral project was to test whether C-SSRS training improves the correct detection of suicidal ideation among that group of people. The intervention was based on the Chronic Care Model and the Theory of Planned Behavior, and healthcare providers received a two to three-hour structured class. Providers practiced using the C-SSRS in their regular patient sessions and continued to use it for two weeks after the training.
Following the intervention, there was a notable increase in C-SSRS charting, with 9 out of 10 charts recording its use and 89% of them being properly completed. Both provider confidence in assessing suicide risk and their level of comfort talking about the sensitive issue went up, with 73% and 80% feeling confident and comfortable, respectively. Thanks to the intervention, there were more cases of suicidal ideation found after the intervention, with 40% noted in the charts compared to 30% before the intervention, and three crisis intervention appointments were scheduled. The research showed that more people were diagnosed; however, regular follow-up care requires better attention. It proves that education and adopting useful tools like the C-SSRS make screening for suicide risk more thorough and help provide timely responses to community mental health
Bridging the Gap: Fostering Collaboration and Professional Development with University and School Librarian Partnerships
Get PDFIn 1999, the Mississippi State University Libraries established the MegaResource School Librarian Workshop, a technology-focused workshop that provided K-12 librarians an opportunity to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Over the past 25 years, the workshop has evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of school librarians, however, the popularity of the workshop and limited spacing meant there was often a waiting list, creating an opportunity for other institutions to help fill this need. In 2022, academic librarians and deans from Mississippi universities met to discuss ways that the University of Mississippi Libraries and others could create more outreach opportunities, specifically for school librarians in a similar way that Mississippi State University Libraries provided. In a series of fortunate events in early 2023, the University of Mississippi Libraries was able to cultivate librarian-school partnerships to create new learning opportunities for school librarians. This paper presents how two large R1 institutions have impacted school librarian professional development in Mississippi