Faith, Family, and Ducks: A Content Analysis of Duck Dynasty
by
Makenna Lange B.S.
A Thesis
In
Agricultural Communications
Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Texas Tech University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Sciences
Approved
Dr. Erica Irlbeck Chair of Committee
Dr. Todd Chambers
Dr. Cindy Akers
Dr. Jon Ulmer
Mark Sheridan Dean of the Graduate School
August, 2014
Copyright 2014, Makenna Lange Texas Tech University, Makenna Lange, August 2014
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are so many people that I could thank and recognize for helping me through this thesis writing process, but considering the length of this paper I will keep it short.
First I would like to thank my committee chair, Dr. Erica Irlbeck, for being on board with this out of the box topic and her willingness to listen to all of the Duck Dynasty knowledge I acquired along the way. I would also like to thank her for being there to help me work my way through this process, and not making me feel like an idiot for any of the million questions I had along the way. How she could read the multiple drafts I sent her, will never cease to amaze me.
Next I would like to thank my office mates and fellow cave dwellers. I made amazing friends along this process, and never would have made it through without them. Thank you all for being there to listen to me vent about all of the articles I had to read or formatting issues I could not figure out. Amber Krause, thank you for sitting in the desk behind me for 12 days straight until all hours of the night while we slaved away on these theses. Kelly Harkey, thank you for being there to send me something funny every time I needed to smile. I am 100% sure that I would have never made it through this process without either of you to commiserate with. To the rest of my cave dwellers, thank you for putting up with me for two years.
Last, and most importantly, I want to thank my family. My parents have always been here to help me reach my goals and dreams. They have never told me I couldn’t do something, and were there every step of the way in this process. From listening to me complain, to staying on the phone with me as I drove home from campus at 2 a.m., they never complained or told me to get over myself.
While I am the one who wrote this, it was all of you that helped me make it possible and because of that I thank you very very much!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...... ii
LIST OF TABLES ...... vi
LIST OF FIGURES ...... vii
I. INTRODUCTION ...... 1
Background and Setting ...... 1 Reality Television ...... 3 Social Media...... 4 Statement of Problem ...... 5 Purpose of Study ...... 6 Delimitations ...... 7 Limitations ...... 8 Basic Assumptions ...... 8 Definition of Terms ...... 9
II. LITERATURE REVIEW ...... 10
Duck Dynasty Background ...... 10 Merchandise ...... 12 Controversy ...... 17
Reality Television ...... 26 Agriculture and Natural Resources in Reality Televsion ...... 28 Rural American Values ...... 30 Social Media and Social Television ...... 32 Duck Dynasty and Social Media ...... 35 Uses and Gratifications ...... 37 The Internet and Social Media ...... 38
III. METHODOLOGY ...... 40 iii
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Purpose and Objective...... 40 Research Design ...... 41 Data Sources...... 42 Data Collection Methods...... 44 Episodes ...... 44 Facebook Posts ...... 44 Facebook Comments ...... 45 Data Analysis ...... 46 Trustworthiness ...... 47 Researcher Bias ...... 49
IV. FINDINGS ...... 51
Research Question One ...... 52 Family & Marriage ...... 52 Faith ...... 53 Nature & Natural Resources ...... 54 Friendship ...... 55 Research Question Two ...... 55 Episode One ...... 55 Episode Two ...... 66 Research Question Three ...... 74 Research Question Four ...... 77
V. CONCLUSIONS, DISCUSSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 80
Research Question One ...... 81 Research Question Two ...... 84 Research Question Three ...... 85 Research Question Four ...... 87 Discussion ...... 88 Recommendations ...... 90 Practitioners...... 90 Research ...... 92 iv
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REFERENCES ...... 94
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LIST OF TABLES 4.1 Description of Facebook Posts Coded for Episode One...... 61 4.2 Number of Likes, Comments, Shares Received and Hashtags Used in Facebook Posts from Episode One ...... 64 4.3 Desciption of Facebook Posts Coded for Episode Two ...... 70 4.4 Number of Likes, Comments, Shares Received and Hashtags Used in Facebook Posts from Episode Two ...... 72
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LIST OF FIGURES 2.1 Duck Dynasty products available at Walmart...... 13 2.2 Duck Commander 500 & Duck Commander Independence Bowl Logos ...... 17 2.3 Screen shot of sold out merchandise on Walmart.com after controversy ...... 25 2.4 Social Media accounts used by Duck Dynasty cast members ...... 36 4.1 Facebook post with largest response...... 56 4.2 Duck cane used in Facebook post...... 57 4.3 Duck Dynasty merchandise at Walmart...... 58 4.4 Robertson family landing in NYC...... 59 4.5 Still of Willie and Alan from the episode “Till Duck Do Us Part”...... 59 4.6 Still of Robetson granddaughters from “So You Think You Can Date” episode ...... 67 4.7 Sticker of “Papaw Phil”...... 68 4.8 Still from “Till Duck Do Us Part” with quote from episode...... 78
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Background and Setting With 11.8 million viewers tuning into the fourth season premiere, Duck
Dynasty is a cultural phenomenon (Cohen, 2013). The reality television show has been on the air for about four years and has completed five short seasons. Fueled by social media, the popularity of the show has caused the family members to become celebrities in their own right, and has triggered multiple endorsement deals in a variety of products. Duck Dynasty is about the Robertsons, a family from West Monroe,
Louisiana who, despite being self-made millionaires, continue on as a working class family. Duck Dynasty portrays the Robertsons as a family that works, plays, eats, and prays together, and is hugely supportive of one another.
Duck Dynasty was originally meant to be a serious show, a “behind-the-scenes look at a family of hunters,” but A&E producers then discovered “how close-knit and funny the family was” and decided to run with that instead (Alter, 2013, p. 5). The
Robertson family, in conjunction with their duck call company Duck Commander, has been producing Duckmen videos and DVDs for about 25 years and in 2009 premiered a reality show on the outdoor channel (Alter, 2013). The videos and television show are about the Robertsons and their adventures while duck and deer hunting. The family is headed by Phil and Kay Robertson (Miss Kay), who were married when
Miss Kay was only 16 years old. They have four sons: Alan, Jason (Jase), Willie, and 1
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Jeptha (Jep) (Robertson, Robertson, & Schlabach, 2012). Despite the problems they faced, family discord, alcoholism, and financial difficulty, they stuck it out together while patriarch Phil worked to create his own duck call design and start his own company. Although most think the family went from rags to riches instantly, the
Robertsons struggled financially while the company took off (Robertson, Robertson,
& Schlabach, 2012).
Duck Dynasty addresses many different aspects of life, family and faith, not often found on reality television. Cohen (2013) stated “the show mixes commerce, family life, the great outdoors and beards suitable for members of the band ZZ Top” and has themes of a “classic family television show” (p. 1).
Duck Dynasty, as well as the family company, Duck Commander, has produced a plethora of products and merchandise including, but not limited to, bedding, clothing, school supplies, eyewear, shoes, Hallmark cards, and jewelry.
Duck Dynasty and the family members involved have also taken to many different methods of media to promote the show. Each member of the Robertson family has his or her own Twitter account, most of the wives have Instagram accounts, and the show has its own Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. There are also multiple fan- created pages on Facebook for each member of the family. The family accounts as well as the accounts generated by A&E have a combined 13 Twitter accounts, two official Facebook accounts, three Instagram accounts, one Pinterest account and one
YouTube channel. The Duck Dynasty Official Facebook page, operated by A&E, has 2
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more than 7.6 million page likes and the official Twitter account has more than 1.8 million followers (Duck Dynasty, 2014). Willie is the Robertson with the largest social media following with more than 1.85 million followers on Twitter and 1.1 million likes on his Facebook page (Twitter, 2014; Facebook, 2014).
Reality Television
Reality television is not a new concept in the world of television production.
Although it actually started on the radio and The Adventures of Ozzie, it later became a television phenomenon (Roman, 2005). Reiss and Wiltz (2004) found the factor to differentiate regular television programing from reality television is “ordinary people,” or non-actors, are the main focus and characters of a show. Reality television has become an easy way for networks to fill time slots, and is relatively inexpensive to produce (Roman, 2005).
Probably the most recognizable reality television shows is MTV’s The Real
World, which premiered in 1992 (Baldwin, Perry, & Moffitt, 2004). The Real World put seven strangers together in a house, in a new city, and recorded every second of their lives (Baldwin, Perry, & Moffitt, 2004). Baldwin, Perry, and Moffit (2004) state the reasoning behind The Real World’s popularity “came from a variety of things, such as exhibitionism, conflict, and unpredictability” (p. 174). While on the show, the cast members often faced issues that were popular and sometime controversial at the time including race, homosexuality, and AIDS (Roman, 2005).
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Another form of reality television that has become popular with audiences is the competition-based reality television show. One of the most popular of these is
Survivor, which has been on the air for 28 seasons (CBS.com, 2014). In the show, 18 contestants are taken to and left in remote locations around the world (CBS.com,
2014). While in these locations, the contestants participate in competitions for food, immunity, and other prizes. At the end of the episode a cast member is voted “off the island” until eventually there are only two left. In the last episode, the winner is chosen and wins a million dollars.
Social Media
Social media is defined as “a group of internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technical foundations of Web 2.0 and that allow the creation and exchange of user generated content” (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010, p. 61). Social media allows users to connect with others, while viewing their entire social network using a personal account (Stefanone, Lackaff, & Rosen, 2010). Boyd and Ellison (2007) found online communication and social networks allow people to share information about themselves with others in their network, usually family and friends.
Haythornthwaite (2005) stated that by putting social networks on the Internet, it allows people to have connections they could not otherwise have, transcending what is possible with face-to-face communication. Chan-Olmsted (2011) stated that social media is “valuable in offering an unprecedented two-way marketing channel for
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traditional media, [it] also compete[s] for customers’ leisure time and serve as an alternative content distribution platform” (p. 3).
Mukherjee and Jansen (2014) state “the presence of social networks and mobile technology in form of secondary screens used in conjunction with television plays a significant role in the shift from traditional television to social television” (p.
317). Social Television (Social TV) is defined as the “interaction among people associated with program watching” and “highlights a special from of socialization, where the TV content is accompanied by social interaction” (Mukherjee & Jansen,
2014, p.318). Social TV is when the television audience uses social media to communicate with other viewers while watching and feel togetherness, most commonly while using a “second screen” such as a phone, tablet, or laptop
(Mukherjee & Jansen, 2014). Mukherjee and Jansen (2014) say that social media offers viewers multiple ways to share programs and content with each other, while discussing it. Social media also allows them to converse and comment before, during, and after the program has aired (Mukherjee & Jansen, 2014).
Statement of Problem
With the creation of social media, the way that viewers watch and participate with television has changed. Viewers are now allowed to not only comment about programming, but to also participate in the content that is being shown. As agricultural communicators, it is important to look at the different forms of social media and traditional media used to promote Duck Dynasty, and how the members of 5
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the Robertson family implement these platforms in their daily lives to reach their viewers. By using social media to connect with viewers, and to give viewers a look into their lives, Duck Dynasty has become one of the most successful reality television shows in cable history. Understanding how Duck Dynasty has used social media will allow agricultural communicators to do the same when promoting messages or organizations in agriculture.
Penhollow (2012) quoted Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of
Animal Planet, as saying shows like Duck Dynasty are popular because they remind people “of an iconic way of life" and allow them to connect to something more real.
This study looked for these values within episodes of Duck Dynasty and the Duck
Dynasty Facebook page operated by A&E. It also examines what the viewer’s think of these values, and how they are portrayed on the show. By discovering the importance of these values, future agricultural communicators can use them to help reach people and make their messages more successful.
Purpose of Study
The purpose of this case study was to examine the themes found throughout selected Duck Dynasty episodes and their corresponding social media. With the growing popularity of Social TV and the changes in the television content and programing, it is important to adapt to the changes. To accomplish this purpose, the following research questions guided this study:
1. What themes were found in two selected episodes of Duck Dynasty? 6
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2. What themes were found in the posts made to the A&E Duck Dynasty
Facebook page the day before the episode aired, the day it aired, and the
day after?
3. What themes were found in follower comments on the posts?
4. What do the themes found in questions 1-3 have in common, and where do
they differ?
Delimitations
In this study, the researcher conducted a content analysis on the two highest rated episodes of Duck Dynasty. The ratings for these episodes were provided to the researchers by the A&E social media team through email. For each episode analyzed, the researcher examined the posts made to the network-generated Facebook page for the day prior to the original airing, the day of the original airing, and the day after.
Facebook was chosen over Twitter because it offered the availability of a longer message, and has the largest following of all the existing Duck Dynasty social media accounts at more than 7.8 million page likes.
This study did not be analyze the Twitter, Instagram, You Tube, or other social media accounts, personal or network generated. In addition, this study did not evaluate the personal social media accounts of Duck Dynasty cast members. The reasons for limiting analysis are as follows 1) The posts to the show’s Facebook page are numerous and time constraints did not allow an extensive analysis of the volume
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of posts; 2) Comments to each post can be in the thousands; 3) The number of cast member accounts is extensive, and they are less consistent than the show’s page.
Limitations
While coding comments made to the A&E generated Duck Dynasty Facebook page, the researcher encountered a limitation in the algorithms used by Facebook. The researcher noticed comments that were posted in a random order according to the posting date, rather than in chronological order. Some of these posts were dated later in August, sometimes weeks after the post was originally made. Others were made in
December after the show experienced the GQ controversy, but were in between two comments made the day the post was originally made.
The researcher also noticed many comments were made in reply to previous negative comments, but the original comment did not appear. When asked about comment policies, the A&E social media team in charge of the page did not respond.
The researcher noted the comments responding to previous negative comments in the code book.
Basic Assumptions
The researcher assumed that A&E’s social media team, which operates Duck
Dynasty’s Facebook page, would post to the Facebook page every day. It is also assumed the social media team would use a consistent posting schedule of only three posts per day. This is assumed because of email correspondence with the A&E social
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media team and the researcher, in which the researcher was told the team posted on the Facebook page three times per day.
Definition of Terms
Reality Television (RTV): “makes the personal thoughts, behaviors, and
interactions of its characters the main focus of audience attention” (Stefanone,
Lackaff, & Rosen, 2010).
Social TV: “Interaction among people associated with program watching;
highlights a special form of socialization, where the TV content is accompanied by
social interaction” (Mukherjee & Jansen, 2014, p. 318).
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CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW
A literature review was conducted to provide information about the history and contemporary research about the following subject areas: Duck Dynasty background, reality television, social media and television, rural America and values, and uses and gratifications.
Duck Dynasty Background
Duck Dynasty is a show about a duck hunting, Christian family, from
Louisiana. The family is led by Phil and Kay Robertson, and Phil is the founder of the family business Duck Commander, a duck call manufacturer. They have four sons:
Alan, Jason (Jase), Willie, and Jeptha (Jep) (Robertson, Robertson, & Schlabach,
2012). Although the family is successful and happy now, they were not always that way. When his sons were young, Phil Robertson managed a bar, became an alcoholic, and eventually got to the point where he kicked his wife and children out (Robertson,
Robertson, & Schlabach, 2012). The family patriarch soon found his faith, and gave up his partying ways and was led back to his family (Robertson, Robertson, &
Schlabach, 2012). Phil Robertson eventually designed a smaller, improved version of a duck call and began producing them out of his house (Robertson, Robertson, &
Schlabach, 2012). Phil wanted his business to be successful, to the point of going store to store to get them to carry some of his Duck Commander products (Robertson,
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Robertson, & Schlabach, 2012). More than 40 years later Duck Commander is a multi-million dollar company (Duck Commander, 2014).
Although there seems to be a plethora of “southern,” “redneck,” or “outdoor” based reality shows on television, Duck Dynasty is in a category of its own. Shows like TLC’s Here Comes Honey Boo Boo or CMT’s Party Down South are designed to make “southern” people or “rednecks” fit into the Southern stereotype: the characters are loud, undereducated, and often times overweight (Brumback, 2012).
Duck Dynasty is not the first time the Robertson family has been on television
(Robertson, Robertson, & Schlabach, 2012). The men of the family had their own hunting series on the Outdoor Channel that began airing in 2011, before Duck
Dynasty, as well as a line of hunting videos and DVDs (Robertson, Robertson, &
Schlabach, 2012). It is because of this show they were found by a producer in
California, who then contacted them about staring in their own reality show
(Robertson, Robertson, & Schlabach, 2012).
The season four premiere of Duck Dynasty broke ratings records with more than 11.8 million people tuning in (Marshall, 2013). David McKillop, general manager and vice president of the A&E network, said “the Robertsons represent a lot of things we as American cherish, self-made wealth, independence, [and] three generations living together” (Choen, 2013. p.1). Chandler (2013) stated that what separates Duck Dynasty from other reality shows is “how quickly we see money hasn’t
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gone to anyone’s head” (p.1). Barney (2013) said the number one reason the show is so popular among viewers is that family comes first, “they’re an affectionate, devout brood that works, plays and prays together” (p. 1). He goes on to say that another main reason for the show’s popularity is that it is a reality television show that can be watched and enjoyed by the whole family (Barney, 2013). One fan said
There isn’t much on TV anymore that we can all sit down and watch together
as a family, it has some of the same lessons and values we push in our home.
It’s not mean-spirited and full of negativity like so many other reality shows. It
doesn’t make you feel like a voyeur who looks down on the characters. You
laugh with [the Robertsons], not at them (Barney, 2013, p.2).
Merchandise
Since its initial premiere in 2012, Duck Dynasty has gone on to create an empire of merchandise and endorsement deals. It has grown so large that Forbes estimates the Robertsons made $400 million in 2013 alone (O’Connor, 2013). Duck
Dynasty and Duck Commander merchandise can be found in Walmart, Target, and
Kohl’s, as well as sporting goods stores such as Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shop, and
Academy (O’Connor, 2013b). Duck Commander gear can also be found on the Duck
Commander website and A&E’s website.
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Half of the Duck Dynasty empire is from a product merchandising deal with
Walmart that started with products in six departments and by December 2013 had spread to 13 departments (Alter, 2013). The products sold by Walmart include, but are not limited to, bedding, clothing (for men, women, and children), eye wear, and novelty items such as bobbleheads and Chia pets (Alter, 2013). Some of the products available can be seen in Figure 2.1.
Figure 2.1 Duck Dynasty products available at Walmart
In 2013 the Robertsons signed a deal with Howard Publishing, a Christian- based publisher and an imprint under Simon & Schuster, for five books all to be written by members of the family (Alter, 2013). The Robertsons were contacted by
Howard Publishing not only because of the success of the show and their Christian values, but the company was founded by Korie Robertson’s grandfather, Alton
Howard (Alter, 2013). Korie’s father also was the president of the publishing house
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until it was purchased by Simon & Schuster, and was later the Robertsons’ literary agent when the book deals were offered (Alter, 2013). Howard Publishing assisted the family in writing their books by hiring a contributing writer, Mark Schlabach, a sports journalist (Alter, 2013). Happy, Happy, Happy by Phil Robertson became a number one best seller after being released in Spring 2013, selling 680,000 copies (Alter,
2013). Alter (2013) reported the “first print run of 300,000 copies sold out before the book was even published, and Howard has gone back to the printer 12 times” (p. 3).
The Duck Commander Family by Willie and Korie Robertson went on to sell more than 630,000 copies and “has gone through 32 prints in 37 weeks” (Alter, 2013, p. 3).
Si-cology 101 by Si Robertson, Phil’s brother and a prominent cast member in the show, pre-sold more than 500,000 copies (Alter, 2013) and spent three weeks at number one on the New York Times Best Seller list during September 2013 (New
York Times, 2013). Miss Kay also released a cookbook titled Miss Kay’s Duck
Commander Kitchen in 2013. The book blended “family photos and stories with recipes for crawfish, deer, fried frog legs, and squirrel” (Alter, 2013, p. 3). Two additional books were released in the spring of 2014, one written by Jase Robertson,
Good Call: Reflections of Faith, Family, and Foul, and one by the wives of Duck
Dynasty (Kay, Korie, Jessica, Missy, and Lisa), The Women of Duck Commander
(Amazon, 2014). A third book by Phil Robertson will be released in September 2014 titled UnPHILtered: The Way I See It (Amazon, 2014).
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In late December 2013 it was announced the Robertsons would be teaming up with Trinchero Family Estates to create a Duck Commander Wine Label and the wine would be available at Walmart in January 2014 (Brenner, 2013). Roger Trinchero,
CEO of Trinchero family winery, said he wanted to work with the Robertsons because of the chemistry between his family and the Robertson family, later stating “They come from the same sort of background that we did—plus they are great people”
(Brenner, 2013, p.1). Bob Torkelson, COO of the winery, said “to be associated with the most popular reality TV show ever, plus to be with a great family group, really makes it a win-win for us” (Brenner, 2013, p. 1).
In February 2014 it was announced that Duck Commander was be hosting both a NASCAR race and a colligate football bowl game. The Duck Commander 500 took place at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas on April 6, 2014 (Duck
Commander, 2014). NASCAR.com reported “the two sides [Texas Motor Speedway and Duck Commander] agreed to a three-year deal with a renewal option for an additional three years” (2014, para. 1). Eddie Gossage, President of the Texas Motor
Speedway, said about the arrangement “this is perhaps the most unique sponsorship in professional sports because not only does this come with special branding, it comes with celebrity spokespeople that are followed by tens of millions of people every week” (NASCAR.com, 2014, para. 2). The Duck Commander Independence Bowl
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will take place in Shreveport, La. (Duck Commander, 2014). Bowl Chairman John
Hubbard said;
The Independence Bowl is proud Duck Commander has agreed to become our
new title sponsor. Their success has been phenomenal. As we both explored
this opportunity, it was clear this national and growing worldwide success
could help bring new business relationships to the Independence Bowl and
enable us to showcase Louisiana as a Sportsman’s Paradise (Duck
Commander, 2014).
In a statement released by Duck Commander (2014), CEO Willie Robertson said; College football is very important to us, both as fans and former players. The
Independence Bowl is what college football is all about: it has great tradition
and it’s All-American. Add in its Louisiana location and appreciation of the
military and it creates a winning partnership for both parties, it’s especially
exciting to see our brand help the Independence Bowl create an awesome fan
experience (Duck Commander, 2014).
Duck Commander is contracted to sponsor the Independence Bowl until 2019 (Duck
Commander, 2014). The logos for both events are a variation of the Duck
Commander logo, and can be seen in Figure 2.2.
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Figure 2.2 Duck Commander 500 and Duck Commander Independence Bowl Logos
Controversy
Although Duck Dynasty is watched by many for the humor, the show and family have had their share of controversy in its five seasons on air. One of these controversies was over the endorsement deal for a wine label, the announcement for which was released in December 2013. Willie Robertson was set to speak at a benefit 17
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in Bristol, Tennessee for Family Ministries. The endorsement deal for wine was seen to go against the core values of the Family Ministries organization, and it decided to cancel Robertson’s speaking engagement (McKay, 2013). Derek Bell, director of development for Family Ministries stated, "Our greatest responsibility is to the young people we serve. Therefore, we feel that in light of the recent news, to continue with this event would send mixed messages to the young people who go through our
Adolescent Drug and Alcohol program" (McKay, para. 5, 2013).
This caused some fans to question the Robertson’s priorities and if they were becoming more interested in making money and gaining celebrity rather than promoting the Christian ways of thinking (McKay, 2013). One person tweeted “I knew this was a problem as soon as I saw the first advertisement. I'm afraid they have lost their focus #money #wine #fake" (McKay, para. 8, 2013). The speaking commitment was part of a fundraiser to build an expansion to the ministry, and the event organizers had to refund the tickets for the event (McKay, 2013).
The next, and largest, controversy was when patriarch Phil Robertson was interviewed by GQ Magazine for the January 2014 issue. The controversy was not because of the magazine Robertson was being interviewed for, but for the questions he was asked and his answers to those questions. In an interview by GQ writer Drew
Magary, Phil Robertson was asked about his life growing up in Northern Louisiana.
Robertson told Magary about working in cotton fields with African American workers and his perception of how they felt doing so. He told Magary: 18
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I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person. Not once.
Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed
cotton with them. I’m with the blacks, because we’re white trash. We’re going
across the field.... They’re singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one
black person, say, ‘I tell you what: These doggone white people’—not a
word!... Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were
Godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues (2013, p. 3).
In response to this comment, Reverend Jesse Jackson compared Robertson to the white bus driver who kicked Rosa Parks off of her bus almost 60 years ago
(Goyette, 2013). Jackson then went on to demand a meeting with A&E and Cracker
Barrel, whose stores carried Duck Dynasty merchandise, within 72 hours of
Robertson’s statement being released to discuss “the future of Duck Dynasty memorabilia” (Nathan & Payne, 2013).
In a later part of the GQ article, Robertson discussed his views on homosexuality in terms of his religious beliefs. He went on to tell Magary (2013)
“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men” (p. 2). Then he paraphrased Corinthians: “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the
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slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right” (2013, p.2).
This comment was the first comment that was brought to the public. The lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgendered people organization, Gay and Lesbian
Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) went to A&E and demanded that Robertson be taken off the show. They also wanted to meet with A&E and other carriers of Duck
Dynasty products to discuss getting Duck Dynasty products off of the shelves and “re- examine their ties to the show (Carter, 2013). GLAAD also released a statement calling the declarations “vile and extreme” and “asked supporters to donate the cost of duck call” to their organization to show their support (Carter, 2013, para. 3).
Immediately after the article was released, A&E issued the following statement:
We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson's comments in GQ,
which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series
'Duck Dynasty. His personal views in no way reflect those of A&E Networks,
who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT
community. The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming
indefinitely (Fox News, 2013).
An A&E executive went on to say that it was the graphic language, specifically the overt comparison that was made between bestiality and homosexuality, that caused
Robertson to be suspended (Carter, 2013). Following A&E’s decision to put
Robertson on hiatus, fans became very upset. There were multiple social media 20
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campaigns hashtags, and petitions flying around trying to show support and encourage
A&E to put Phil back on the show. Some of the hashtags included #standbyphil,
#happyhappyhappy (Robertson’s catch phrase on the show), and #IStandwithPhil.
Petitions to bring back Phil had thousands of signatures within hours (Huffington Post,
2013). There was also support from religious and conservative groups, many of which felt Robertson was being attacked for his Christian values and quoting scripture, while also restricting his right to free speech (Carter, 2013).
In response to the statements made by Robertson, Cracker Barrel made the decision to remove Duck Dynasty merchandise from their shelves, after releasing the following statement:
Cracker Barrel’s mission is Pleasing People. We operate within the ideals of
fairness, mutual respect and equal treatment of all people. These ideals are the
core of our corporate culture.
We continue to offer Duck Commander products in our stores.
We removed selected products which we were concerned might offend some
of our guests while we evaluate the situation.
We continually evaluate the products we offer and will continue to do so
(O’Connor, 2013).
Within one day the company decided to put the removed merchandise back, in an attempt to appease its customers (O’Connor, 2013). Cracker Barrel then went on to release the following statement: 21
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Dear Cracker Barrel Customer:
When we made the decision to remove and evaluate certain Duck Dynasty
items, we offended many of our loyal customers. Our intent was to avoid
offending, but that's just what we've done.
You told us we made a mistake. And, you weren't shy about it. You wrote,
you called and you took to social media to express your thoughts and feelings.
You flat out told us we were wrong.
We listened.
Today, we are putting all our Duck Dynasty products back in our stores.
And, we apologize for offending you.
We respect all individuals’ right to express their beliefs. We certainly did not
mean to have anyone think different.
We sincerely hope you will continue to be part of our Cracker Barrel family
(O’Connor, 2013).
Following the release of the article and the backlash Robertson released his own statement saying:
I myself am a product of the '60s; I centered my life around sex, drugs and
rock and roll until I hit rock bottom and accepted Jesus as my Savior. My
mission today is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ and also
what the Bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women and men are
meant to be together. However, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just 22
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because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and
like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be better off if we loved God
and loved each other (Finn, 2013).
His family, and fellow costars, also released a statement in support of their patriarch stating:
We want to thank all of you for your prayers and support. The family has
spent much time in prayer since learning of A&E's decision. We want you to
know that first and foremost we are a family rooted in our faith in God and our
belief that the Bible is His word. While some of Phil’s unfiltered comments to
the reporter were coarse, his beliefs are grounded in the teachings of the Bible.
Phil is a Godly man who follows what the Bible says are the greatest
commandments: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart’ and ‘Love your
neighbor as yourself.’ Phil would never incite or encourage hate. We are
disappointed that Phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which
is his constitutionally protected right. We have had a successful working
relationship with A&E but, as a family, we cannot imagine the show going
forward without our patriarch at the helm. We are in discussions with A&E to
see what that means for the future of Duck Dynasty. Again, thank you for your
continued support of our family (Duckcommander.com, 2013).
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In the end, A&E kept Robertson on suspension for nine days. The show was not filming during those days because they were on hiatus in between seasons.
Johnson (2013) stated “The decision was inevitable. Duck Dynasty is the network’s number one rated show and in many ways there is no network without Duck Dynasty”
(p. 1). Johnson (2013) went on to say that this “crisis” shows the power of social media and the power the consumer now holds.
Economically, the controversy was beneficial to the Robertsons and the Duck
Dynasty/Duck Commander brand. Following the suspension of Phil Robertson, fans rushed to Walmart’s website to stock up on Duck Dynasty merchandise, causing
Walmart to sell out of everything Duck Dynasty related as seen in Figure 2.3 (Nathan
& Payne, 2013).
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Figure 2.3 Screen shot of sold out merchandise on Walmart.com after controversy. (Nathan & Payne, 2013).
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Reality Television
Reality television has been around in one form or another for decades (Roman,
2005). The earliest of these forms was on the radio, the show was The Adventures of
Ozzie and Harriet and it was on the radio from 1944 to 1949 (Roman, 2005). In 1952
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet was brought to television and went on to be the longest running sitcom in television history, running until 1966 (Roman, 2005).
“What was intriguing about Ozzie and Harriet was that they were a real family whose dynamics unfolded on television. The series was the first taste of reality television, with every nuance of behavior recorded for an audience” (Roman, 2005, p. 82).
The first reality show produced in the format that viewers are familiar with today was An American Family in 1973 (Roman, 2005). An American Family was first broadcast on PBS, and had mixed reviews (Lim, 2011). The show consisted of the Loud family: Bill and Pat, the parents, and their five children, whose ages ranged from 14-20 (Lim, 2011). The Loud family “allowed a crew into their Santa Barbara,
Calif., home for seven months; from 300 hours of 16-millimeter film footage…12 hour-long episodes were produced” (Lim, 2011, p.1). Lim (2011) stated that it is often thought “the series heralded nothing less than the demise of the nuclear family” (p. 1).
According to Papacharissi and Mendelson (2007), the basis of the reality television format “requires that individuals place themselves on public display, thus forfeiting all claims to personal privacy for the sake of transient fame and the possibility of monetary compensation” (p. 355). The reality television show that 26
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sticks in most people’s minds is MTV’s The Real World which premiered in 1992.
The Real World was “one of the first American attempts to adapt the genre to a wider commercial audience with a more compelling demographic” (Roman, 2005, p.174).
Roman (2005) found The Real World’s success was its selection of the “family” members. These seven members were selected from more than 35,000 people who auditioned, and were chosen based on their gender, race, beliefs, and sexual orientation (Roman, 2005). The combination of the cast was chosen for the potential conflicts that could arise; these conflicts and differences were used to approach social problems that were being faced by young people at the time (Roman, 2005).
Since the creation of MTV’s The Real World, and the current formula of reality television, reality television has dominated mainstream television programing
(Papacharissi & Mendelson, 2007). It does not carry the cost of a big budget sitcom or scripted show, and because it is not difficult to find people to be on television, it has become a favorite of television networks. With the increase of reality based programing, there has been an influx of shows based on the southern United States.
Miller (2013) provided a description of the phenomenon:
in recent years, reality TV programs featuring redneck culture in particular
have seen increased popularity, showing southerners doing everything from
fishing with their hands, eating triple-fried foods at county fairs, making up
words not found within the traditional English dictionary, and often times just
acting downright ignorant and crude”(p. 66). 27
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Miller (2013) also found that it is important to study these types of shows, as researchers, to “study these messages and uncover [the] meaning from them” (p. 67).
Although reality TV is often considered “low class’ television, Miller (2013) argued that it is popular because viewers feel involved in the lives of the subjects creating an increased level of identification with the subjects; it “lets viewers connect to something both raw and real” (Miller, 2013, p.69).
With the creation of social media, audiences have been given the opportunity to interact and participate with casts of reality television shows, often in the form of voting to keep or eliminate participants. Giving audiences the option to call the shots and “create the media content” (Papacharissi & Mendelson, 2005, p. 355) has only helped them grow in popularity and resulted in an influx of similar shows. Stefanone,
Lackaff, and Rosen (2010) stated “One content trend observed in the last two decades is the relative increase of reality-framed television programming, RTV makes the personal thoughts, behaviors, and interactions of its characters the main focus of audience attention” (p. 510).
Agriculture and Natural Resources in Reality TV
There has recently been an influx of television shows related to natural resources, outdoors, aquaculture, and agriculture, and on a variety of networks.
Treehouse Masters, Gator Boys, Deadliest Catch, Farm Kings, Dirty Jobs, and
American Heartland are only a few of these types of shows currently on the air.
Treehouse Masters is about a professional treehouse builder, Pete Nelson, who 28
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“designs private escapes for those with a passion to reconnect with nature and awaken their inner child” (Treehouse Masters, 2014, para. 1). Gator Boys follows the boys of
Gator Boys Rescue and is on the Animal Planet. The goal of the show and “Gator
Boys Rescue is to get alligators out of harm’s way before they are captured or killed by rival trappers” (Gator Boys, 2014, para. 2). Deadliest Catch is on the Discovery
Channel, and is now going on its 10th season. On the Deadliest Catch “seven skippers and their crews will fight through hell and back in search of king and opilio crab”
(Deadliest Catch, 2014, para. 1). Farm Kings is in its third season on Great American
Country (GAC) and features a “hardworking family” who “battle the elements-and each other- to keep the family business going” (Farm Kings, 2014, para. 1).
Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs “profiles the unsung American laborers who make their living in the most unthinkable- yet vital- ways” (Dirty Jobs, 2014, para. 4). The host, Mike Rowe, has completed a variety of jobs in the eight seasons of the show, a few of those include: fish squeezer, onion processor, wetland weed picker, woolen mill operator, and custom meat processor (Dirty Jobs, 2014, para. 4). America’s
Heartland is in the beginning of its ninth season (America’s Heartland, 2014). The idea of the show is to “give consumers an inside look at the people and processes involved in bringing food, fuel, and fiber to those in the United States and around the world” (America’s Heartland, 2014, para. 1).
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Rural American Values
When thinking about agriculture, it is common to think of rural areas and rural
America. Cromartie and Bucholtz (2008) explain this when stating “the term ‘rural’ conjures widely shared images of farms, ranches, villages, small towns, and open spaces” (para. 1). This being said, according to Logan (1996) “few rural residents are farmers, and fewer still live in families whose livelihood comes only from the land”
(p. 19). Cromartie and Bucholtz (2008) go on to say that differentiating between what is urban and what is rural can be a difficult task, “Delineating a precise line between rural and urban America that best serves the purpose, given the complexity of today’s settlement patterns, involves answering two questions: 1. Is a given urban entity defined in terms of its administrative boundaries, its land-use patterns, or its economic influence? [and] 2. What is the minimum population for an entity to be considered urban?” (para. 3).
Logan (1996) found that historically “Americans [have] displayed a romantic attachment to rural values and mistrust the city” (p. 19), even though “the United
States is mainly an urban society” (p. 19). Logan (1996) states that although we are an urban society, “we value ‘rural America’ no less today and perhaps even more than in the past” (p. 19). Gottfried (1996) explains American’s love for rural areas by stating
“American cultural history suggests that the endearing values of rural regions derive from intense experiences with the physical and spatial properties of landscapes” (p.
11). Although Danbom (1996) disagrees by stating “Rural America has traditionally 30
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been valued in our society less because of what it is than because of what it is not” (p.
15), he goes on to explain “we will probably always celebrate rural America both because doing so allows us legitimately to criticize our society and because it provides blank screen on which we can project our hopes and dreams” (p. 15). Logan (1996) agrees, stating “rural America has the special advantage of being the place where most of us don’t live anymore, which frees us to reconstruct it to our imagination” (p. 21).
Danbom (1996) also states that “at various times, the countryside has been the source of our identity and the strength of the republic” (p. 17), later stating “it has been a place where people live genuine lives, where both individualism and community thrive” (p. 17).
Logan (1996) stated “the city offered personal freedom, too. But in the ensuing
‘community of limited liability,’ people’s freedom to choose their social partners and to withdraw their commitments at will spelled the end of family and community as the building block of society” (p. 19-20). Danbom (1996) stated that rural America “is the heartland of American values of liberty and equality, and the last redoubt of the patriarchal family” (p. 17). Logan (1996) explains “we attribute to rural America those values that we most fear have been lost in our city and suburban way of life. In both the popular media and in our own imaginations, these values are encapsulated in powerful visual images” (p. 20). These values include “hard work, family, community, nature, and safety” (Logan, 1996, p. 20). Logan (1996) defined these values as: 31
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Hard Work: The image of the productive farmer, up before dawn and earning
an honest living through hard and independent work.
Family: The image of the farm family, raising many children, still
interdependent as a production unit and offering a secure role for every
generation.
Community: The image of the small town gathering places where social
relationships are face to face and personal where everyone knows your name-
barn raisings, church picnics, the general store.
Nature: The image of the self-sufficient farm, where everything is recycled
and no scrap can afford to be wasted; the clean air and water; the open spaces;
the big sky.
Safety: The image of children wandering freely through fields and streams, of
unlocked doors, of encounters with people whom you know as friends and
neighbors. (p. 20).
Social Media and Social Television
Stefanone, Lackaff, and Rosen (2010) found that social media allows users to connect with others, using their personal accounts, and are able to view their entire social network using the account. Cortese and Rubin (2010) go on to say that the internet has multiple uses, but is starting to be used similar to television, especially when used for entertainment, information, and relaxation. Boyd and Ellison (2007) said online communication and social networks allow people to share information 32
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about themselves with others in their network, usually family and friends.
Haythornthwaite (2005) stated by putting social networks on the internet, it allows people to have connections they could not otherwise have, transcending what is possible with face-to-face communication.
With the creation and rise of social media, television shows have started to use different media to connect with viewers and allow them to discuss the shows
(Mukherjee & Jansen, 2014). Mukherjee and Jansen (2014) said “the social network has embedded itself within the modern TV culture and it acts as a social soundtrack for TV content” (p. 317). The Nielsen Company (2014) described it as “social media is re-energizing TV- acting like a shot of pure adrenaline that’s fueling millions of digital conversations” (para. 1). This is known as social television. The Nielsen
Company (2014) went on to state, social TV is not a fad; rather, it is a “second-screen phenomenon that’s created some of the most influential conversations out there—so much in fact that TV programmers are integrating hashtags and social conversations directly into their shows” (para. 2). Pynta, Seixas, Nield, Hier, Millward, and
Silberstein (2014) state that “current industry studies have reported that anywhere from 31 percent to 77 percent of television viewers interact with a second screen even as they watch television” (p. 71). Pynta et al. (2014) also found that “up to half of television viewers between the age of 18 and 24 report using a second-screen device for messaging, e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter to discuss what they are viewing on television” (p. 72). Nielsen has added a Social TV Measurement, where their 33
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programing measures the top television programs that are mentioned on Twitter and other social media platforms (www.nielsen.com, 2014).
Current research on social TV is being produced by the industry, not academia
(Pynta et al., 2014). Academic research that has been conducted has focused on the use of social TV in the news industry, and how news sources are “giving the public greater influence over which stories are on the news” (Jacobson, 2013). Jacobson
(2013) conducted research to determine how the concept of social TV and the audience’s ability to input on subjects were setting the agenda of the network and the topics discussed on The Rachel Maddow Show. Moylan (2013) conducted similar research in regards to the news industry, but instead analyzed how the news industry was using social media in terms of social TV. The study examined the tweets of three major news outlets: Huffington Post, USA Today, and Fox News (Moylan, 2013).
Using the tweets of these outlets, Moylan (2013) analyzed the content of the tweets to determine how they were used to drive the consumption of the news and information being provided.
There has also been academic research related to social TV conducted in other fields, outside of media and communications. An example of this research was conducted by Pynta et al. (2014) who used brain-activity recording equipment to study the brain activity of subjects using second screens to engage in social TV. Pynta et al.
(2014) described the purpose of the study, stating “participants’ neural responses were
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recorded while they watched a live television broadcast and were allowed to freely interact on social-media platforms Twitter and Fango” (p. 71).
Duck Dynasty and Social Media
Duck Dynasty has more than 20 different social media accounts between the cast members and A&E, and can be found on five platforms. A&E’s Duck Dynasty has three accounts generated by A&E’s social media team using Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Figure 2.4 shows the social media platforms used by different cast members in the form of a family tree. It also includes other cast members, family members who are not regularly seen on the show, and the accounts run by the A&E social media team. Along with social media platforms used by members of the show and network, the family tree also includes the books published by members of the cast using the covers of the books. Twitter is the most popular of the social media platforms, with 13 accounts. All members of the family, except for eldest son Alan and his family have either social media accounts or have published a book.
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Figure 2.4 Social Media Accounts Used by Duck Dynasty Cast Members 36
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Uses and Gratifications
Uses and Gratifications theory is used to help explain why users use, or do not use, media and what they receive by doing so (North, 2000). Uses and Gratifications theory “attempts to explain the uses and functions of the media for individuals, groups, and society in general” (Uses and Gratifications Approach, n.d., p.1). Researchers have been interested in the gratification audiences receive from mass media since the beginning of media studies (Katz, Blumler, & Gurevitch, 1974). The focus on the different forms of media has changed throughout time, from radio to printed media
(i.e. books, newspapers, and comics) and from television to the internet. Many of the early studies in Uses and Gratifications “came up with a list of functions served either by some specific contents or by the medium in question” (p. 509).
Katz, Blumler, and Gurevitch (1974) found that early researchers would sometimes specify the need being researched, and then try to measure the levels of gratification by media or other sources. They also found that “each major piece of uses and gratifications research has yielded its own classification scheme of audience functions” (Katz, Blumler, & Gurevitch, 1974, p. 512). Katz et al. (1974) found Uses and Gratifications theory has five main assumptions when examining how audiences digest media: 1) The consumer actively looking for media; 2) Media platforms compete with each other; 3) The audience has free will and the freedom to use technology; 4) The audience is capable and in sound mind; and 5) No judgment.
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Cortese and Rubin (2010) described Uses and Gratifications theory as a
“psychological communication perspective for explaining media effects” (p. 90).
Papacharissi and Mendelson (2007) described the theory by stating “Uses and
Gratifications examines the nature of audience involvement and gratification obtained from viewing television, with an emphasis on motives for medium, psychological, and social traits that influence this use, and behaviors or attitudes that develop as a result of the combined influence of motives and traits” (p. 356). Uses and Gratifications theory is used to study the reasoning and motives behind people using media, and what they get out of using it (Katz, Blumler, & Gurevitch, 1974; Rosengren, 1974;
Rubin, 2009). There has been research done to examine the difference between gratifications “sought” and those “obtained” by consumers of media (Sundar &
Limperos, 2013).
The Internet and Social Media
Sundar and Limperos (2013) considered “video games, the Internet, social networking sites, and devices such as MP3 players and tablets” (p. 507) to be new forms of media in the study of Uses and Gratifications. White (2013) found, through multiple Uses and Gratifications studies, six gratifications were prominent when using the Internet. Those six included “entertainment, obtaining information, social interaction, convenience, relaxation, and to pass time” (p. 25).
Although social media has been a hot topic of recent studies, in terms of Uses and Gratifications Theory, most of the research has been focused on college students, 38
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and the gratifications they are seeking when using social media (Raacke & Bonds-
Raacke, 2008). Studies have found that although social media platforms gain and lose popularity, most users do not use only one specific platform, but instead have accounts with multiple platforms (Quan-Haase & Young, 2010). Quan-Haase and Young
(2010) found that each social media platform has its own specific features and users use those different features to complement the other platforms. Park, Kee, and
Valenzuela (2009) found that students using Facebook are primarily doing so for socializing, entertainment, self-status seeking, and for information on other students.
Park, Kee, and Valenzuela (2009) also found the “social needs of these online groups strengthen social contacts, community engagement, and attachment by connecting the whole community through networks” (p. 729).
Whiting and Williams (2013) found examining social media using Uses and
Gratifications theory was appropriate because “social media is a communication mechanism that allows users to communicate with thousands, and perhaps billions, of individuals all over the world” (p. 363).
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CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
Television branding is undergoing a transition from traditional marketing to creating an online presence, allowing the audience to connect with networks and assist in content contribution. The largest of this transition is the use of social media, and using social media to have viewers promote network shows for the networks, as well tell networks how they feel about the shows being viewed. This chapter describes this study’s research design, sampling technique, coding development, data collection, and data analysis process.
Purpose and Objectives
The purpose of this case study was to examine the themes found throughout the episodes and social media of Duck Dynasty. With the growing popularity of
Social TV and the changes in the television content and programing, it is important to adapt to the changes. To accomplish this purpose, the following research questions guided this study:
1. What themes are found in each episode of Duck Dynasty?
2. What themes are found in the posts made to the A&E Duck Dynasty
Facebook page the day before the episode airs, the day it airs, and the day
after?
3. What themes are found in follower comments on the posts?
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4. What do the themes found in questions 1-3 have in common, and where do
they differ?
Research Design
The researcher used a descriptive, qualitative case study to address the research objectives. Creswell (2009) stated procedures involved in both quantitative and qualitative research methods differ drastically. White (2013) found “the goal of qualitative research is to understand aspects of everyday life and with these aspects, make sense of the situation, looking at a holistic picture rather than a numeric analysis of data” (p. 41). Creswell (2006) described case study research as “a qualitative approach in which the investigation explores a bounded system or multiple bounded systems over time, through detailed, in-depth data collection involving multiple sources of information, and reports a case description and case-based themes” (p. 73).
This research is a case study examining A&E’s Duck Dynasty and the popularity of this television show with the general public. With about 14 million weekly viewers (CBSNews.com, 2013), more than seven million followers on the
Duck Dynasty A&E Facebook page, and with a growing list of endorsement deals, it is important to look at the different forms of social media and traditional media used to promote Duck Dynasty, and how the members of the Robertson family implement these platforms in their daily lives to reach their viewers.
The case, or bounded system, included a content analysis of two episodes of the television show itself, as well as the posts and comments on the Facebook page 41
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generated by A&E. Within each episode of Duck Dynasty there were multiple themes that are presented to the viewer. By conducting a content analysis of both the show and the Facebook page, the researcher examined these themes and how the viewers responded to the messages.
Data Sources
Duck Dynasty is now in its sixth season and has aired over 60 episodes. Social media is a popular tool to promote the show and engage its audience, and because the show has more than 20 cast members, the number of social media accounts can be overwhelming. For the premiere of the third season, A&E enlisted a team of “25 social-media managers, strategists, graphic designers, and copywriters to interact with fans on both their Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as run multiple contests using hashtags and multiple platforms” (Poggi, 2013, p. 1). There are 13 cast members with Twitter accounts, three with Instagram, and one with Facebook account, as well as other platforms. There are also many “fan page” accounts on
Facebook, but it is unclear who administers these pages, whether it is the actual cast member or a fan. Because of the large number of social media accounts held by the cast members of the show, the research committee decided this study would only focus on the Duck Dynasty Facebook page generated by A&E. The researcher chose to use Facebook over Twitter for multiple reasons. Two of the main reasons were that
Facebook offered the availability of a longer message, and has the largest following of all the existing Duck Dynasty social media accounts. The researcher also considered 42
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the speed at which Twitter updates versus Facebook and the availability of Facebook comments as opposed to responses to tweets and re-tweeting.
The researcher was in contact with the team in charge of operating the page, and received the cooperation needed to conduct the study and content analysis. The researcher contacted the A&E social media team, originally through the Facebook page and then through email correspondence, to gain additional information about the page, and the thoughts or process of posting on the page. Through email, the researcher learned that the team was scheduled to post three times per day, per episode
(Greco, Personal Communication, Feb. 10, 2014).
The case included a content analysis of two episodes of Duck Dynasty, the two episodes with the highest ratings (Greco, Personal Communication, Feb. 10, 2014).
For each episode, this study examined at the A&E Duck Dynasty Facebook page and the posts made the day before the episode aired (Tuesday), the day it aired
(Wednesday), and the day after it aired (Thursday), as well as the first 50 corresponding fan comments to each post. These days were chosen because the researcher wanted to determine if and how the messages found in the Facebook posts changed or were consistent in relation to the airing of the episodes. Facebook displays the first 50 comments made to a post when it is selected; therefore, the research committee decided to analyze only the comments displayed.
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Data Collection Methods
Episodes
Two researchers watched the episodes titled “Till Duck Do Us Part” and “So
You Think You Can Date?” which were the first and second episodes in Season 4.
While watching the episodes, each made a list of observations. While watching, both researchers documented their observations of what was happening and said in the episode. There was no communication between the two researchers while watching and writing was taking place. Each researcher wrote observations for each episode individually. Following the end of the episodes, the observations were compiled into one document. The researcher then looked for similar observations, comments, and themes within the document.
Facebook Posts
Due to the uniqueness of this study, the researcher created a codebook to analyze the Facebook posts generated by the A&E social media team. The categories coded were created based off of the researcher’s previous investigation into the posts made to the A&E Duck Dynasty Facebook page, previous experience with Facebook features, and the data collected from analyzing the two episodes. The researcher also considered popular features when using social media, such as hashtags and links. The codebook was a fluid document, and went through additions and revisions as the researcher found other aspects to code when examining both the posts and the comments. 44
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Each post found on these days was then coded for the date of the post, a short description of the post, the caption of the post, the number of likes, the number of comments, and the number of times it was shared with others. The researcher also coded for any hashtags (#) used in the post, any links included in the caption of the post, the destination of the link, and if the link was a video. The researcher then looked at the size of the post. On Facebook, companies have the option to promote or boost a post, causing it to expand horizontally and take up the width of the page. This is done to make the post stand out to viewers of the page, and is only available by purchase.
Lastly, there was a column for the coder to make comments about the post.
The researcher analyzed and coded each post to the Duck Dynasty Facebook page that was posted on (list the dates), or the day before the episode, the day of the episode, and the day after the episode.
Facebook Comments
After coding the post itself, the first 50 comments made to the post were coded to help determine how the Duck Dynasty viewers were responding to the posts and the themes promoted through the show. The first 50 comments were chosen because that is the number automatically shown by Facebook after accessing the post. The researcher also created this codebook, which included the tone of the message (i.e. positive, negative, or neutral), popular phrases from the show, hashtags (#) used in the comment, any links within the comment, and the number of likes the comment received. The researcher then looked for the cast members mentioned in the comment, 45
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whether or not the comment started a conversation thread with other viewers, and the theme of the message being conveyed (i.e. likes the show, dislikes the show, likes that the show talks about faith, or a specific family member).
Data Analysis
After selecting two episodes, each episode was watched and examined for anything related to family, faith, nature, work, safety (i.e. guns, hunting), and other themes that may have emerged. These themes were selected based on Logan’s (1996) findings of important themes in rural America.
Morse and Richards (2002) stated the purpose of coding was to allow researchers to focus on certain parts of data, and this is done using one of three coding techniques: descriptive, topic, and analytic coding. Because the researcher is simplifying the data to look for themes, topic coding was the best choice. After creating a codebook, the researcher read through posts and comments made on the
A&E Duck Dynasty Facebook page, and then coded through the information to find dominant themes. Additional themes were added as they emerged. As the themes became more prevalent in the data, they were compared to those found while observing the episodes of Duck Dynasty. To conclude the analysis, the researcher provided observations and generalizations about the themes found within the Duck
Dynasty episodes, Facebook posts, and follower generated comments.
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Trustworthiness
Trustworthiness means a researcher’s findings are reliable and can be trusted by the scholarly community (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Merriam (1998) found results are trustworthy “to the extent that there has been some accounting for their validity and reliability” (p. 198). Lincoln and Guba (1985) stated when describing reliability, or trustworthiness, researchers must use four aspects: credibility, transferability, dependability, and conformability.
Credibility is the relationship between “the constructed reality that exist in the minds of the inquiry’s respondent’s realities that exist in the minds of the inquiry’s respondents with those that are attributed to them” (Erlandson et al., 1993, p.30). It is the researchers’ job to portray their research findings as accurately as possible (Ary et al., 2002). Erlandson et al. (1993) found “a credible inquiry generally has the effect on its readers of a mosaic, often imprecise in terms of defining boundaries and specific relationships but very rich in providing depth of meaning and richness of understanding” (p. 30). Eisner (1991) said “we seek a confluence of evidence that breeds credibility, that allows us to feel confident about our observations, interpretations, and conclusions” (p.110). One of Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) proposed strategies of displaying credibility was triangulation. Krefting (1991) found that triangulation is “a powerful strategy for enhancing the quality of the research, particularly credibility” (p. 219). The researcher collected data from both posts and comments of the subject’s Facebook page, then compared the data to documented 47
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observations of Duck Dynasty episodes of the television show in question. The researcher also compared the data and information gathered to information from secondary sources and previously gained knowledge of the subjects.
Merriam (1998) said that transferability is the qualitative equivalent of external validity. Lincoln and Guba (1985) said transferability is necessary because “an inquiry is judged in terms of the extent to which its findings can be applied in other contexts or with other respondents” (p. 290), One way to achieve transferability is using nominated sampling which Krefting (1991) refers to as a sample selection using a panel to help in the selection of information used to complete the study. For this study, the researcher and thesis committee decided which information was important and which was to be eliminated from the study.
Dependability ensures a study is reliable by the ability to be replicated, causing it to be consistent and trustworthy (Morse & Richards, 2000). Lincoln and Guba
(1985) explain dependability by stating “an inquiry must also provide its audience with evidence that if it were replicated with the same or similar respondents in the same context, its findings would be repeated” (p. 290). The data collected from
Facebook can be seen as dependable because it can be credited to the person who posted it. The researcher also kept the codebook in an Excel document with all of the information regarding the comments coded, making the comment identifiable to be found again. The observations made while watching the Duck Dynasty episodes are also saved and accessible. 48
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Conformability refers to the researcher seeking objectivity and removing all bias when interrupting the findings of a study (Lincoln & Guba, 1985; Erlandson et al., 1993). Lincoln and Guba (1985) suggested that conformability is best proven by the reliability of a study. Guba (1981) said that a researcher needs at least two sources of documentation for each claim to ensure the data supports the interpretation of the findings. The researcher disclosed their bias, removing it from the study. The researcher also has a typed copy of the Facebook posts and comments coded, as well as access to the Facebook posts themselves, making them accessible to further research.
Researcher Bias
Although I considered myself to be a fan of A&E’s Duck Dynasty prior to this study, I was not one from the very beginning. I did not actually see an episode of the show until the end of season one, after quite a bit of persuasion from my brother. I was hesitant to watch, and give the show another viewer, because I thought it was going to another one of those shows that make a family from the South look slow and uneducated, feeding into common stereotypes. Once I took the time to watch Duck
Dynasty, I could understand they hype that was surrounding it. Prior to this study I made it a habit to watch the new episodes the night they aired. I had also “liked”
A&E’s Duck Dynasty Facebook page before creating and conducting this study.
Because of this, I had seen previous posts made by the A&E social media staff regarding the show. 49
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That being said, I did not have any prior background knowledge of Duck
Dynasty or the Robertson family, other than that provided on the show. I did not follow any of the cast members on other forms of social media and had not purchased any kind of Duck Dynasty merchandise. I have also never posted a comment on a post made to the A&E Duck Dynasty Facebook page.
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CHAPTER IV
FINDINGS The purpose of this study was to examine themes portrayed on the reality television show Duck Dynasty, and analyze the content of the A&E Duck Dynasty
Facebook page, including the comments made on the page by its followers. The themes found within the show and its corresponding Facebook page were then examined to determine the consistency of the messages. This was done to determine if the messages and themes presented in episodes of the show are consistent with those presented on the show Facebook page, and if they are being properly received by the viewers of Duck Dynasty based on the fan comments on Facebook.
To accomplish this purpose, the following research questions guided this study:
1. What themes were found in two selected episodes of Duck Dynasty?
2. What themes were found in the posts made to the A&E Duck Dynasty
Facebook page the day before the episode aired, the day it aired, and the
day after?
3. What themes were found in follower comments on the posts?
4. What do the themes found in questions 1-3 have in common, and where do
they differ?
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Research Question One
Research Question One sought to better understand the themes and messages found within two selected episodes of A&E’s Duck Dynasty. The two episodes examined were quite different in format and topic, causing the themes found in each episode to be slightly different; however, three themes prevailed in both episodes: family and marriage, faith, natural resources, and friendship.
The first episode examined was the premiere of season four, which was later found to be the highest rated episode of the series and the highest rated non-scripted episode in cable history. The episode was titled “Till Duck Do Us Part.” The episode originally premiered on August 14, 2013. Because it was the season premiere, the episode was an hour long instead of the regular 30 minute episode. The second episode examined was the second episode of the fourth season, the second highest rated episode of the series. The episode was titled “So You Think You Can Date?” and originally aired on August 21, 2013. The episode was only 30 minutes long, the regular format of Duck Dynasty.
Family & Marriage
The themes of family and marriage were the two prominent themes observed in both episodes. In the first episode, the Robertson family decides to throw a surprise wedding for Phil and Miss Kay, who did not have a traditional wedding as they were married at the justice of peace. Throughout the episode, the family works together to plan and put the wedding together. Phil and Miss Kay discuss their anniversary, and 52
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Phil tells Miss Kay that she is his “best buddy.” At the same time their children are setting up their wedding, Phil’s brother, Si, takes the couple on a “walk down memory lane” and discusses how he has been with them from the beginning of their relationship. After distracting the couple, Si takes them to the wedding site where they are surprised by their children. The wedding is officiated by the Robertson’s oldest son, Alan, who is a minister. The couple goes on to say their vows, which they wrote, in front of their family and friends. In her vows, Miss Kay tells Phil “from the time I was 14 years old, I loved you… I am not going anywhere, I will love you forever.” Phil responds by saying, “I am going to be with you for the long hall, until they put me in the ground.”
In the second episode, there are multiple examples of Willie and Jase acting as brothers do, arguing, giving each other a hard time, and working together (while they tease their friend and fellow employee, Martin). In this episode, Phil also decides to spend time with a few of his younger grandchildren, who happen to all be girls. He decides to do this by taking them out and teaching them how to fish, resulting in funny one-liners about his “yuppie” granddaughters and how they spend too much time on their “Wii pods” and not enough time outside. At the end of each episode, the family gathers together to say a prayer and to eat their meals together.
Faith
The theme of faith was more prominent in the first episode, but is still a part of the second. In the first episode, the theme of faith is spread throughout the wedding. 53
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The oldest son, Alan, is a minister and officiated the wedding for his parents. Si, who was chosen to be the best man, asks God “to give them a long and healthy life,” because he knows “God loves them” and he (Si) loves them as well. The family prayed together at the end of each episode, as they do every episode, and asked the
Lord to watch over them.
Nature & Natural Resources
Natural resources and the outdoors were not the main focus of either episode; however, this theme was always present. Throughout both episodes there were
“bumps,” or transition video, to move the show from one segment to the next, of nature and natural resources such as the river, the woods, wild animals, and a fishing pole with a fish on the hook. In the first episode, the wedding the family orchestrated was outdoors on the family’s land with the river in the background. While the children are planning their wedding, Phil and Miss Kay are spending time together fishing at the river. The arbor Phil and Miss Kay were married under was made of vines, flowers, and deer antlers, and Jase complained about how he would rather be fishing than helping his wife get ready for the wedding.
In the second episode, it opens with a group of the male cast members fishing.
Later, Phil goes on a mission to make his granddaughters “redneck girls” and takes them outside to teach them how to fish. At the end of the episode the family eats the fish that were caught for lunch. Overall there were glimpses of the outdoors and natural resources, but it was not the focus of the episode, it was more of a backdrop. 54
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Friendship
Duck Dynasty’s cast consists of most of the Robertson family, but also includes multiple family friends who are often treated as family. A majority of the second episode was about various members of the family helping Martin get ready for an upcoming date. Wives Missy and Cory helped him by picking out his clothes and giving him advice from a woman’s standpoint. While the wives were busy picking out
Martin’s clothes, Willie and Jase were busy picking on Martin for his obsession with socks and his large supply of mustard packets. Willie also mentions that he has been friends with Martin for years, and had never been inside his house.
Research Question Two
Research Question Two sought to better understand the themes behind posts made to the A&E Duck Dynasty Facebook page by its social media managers. The posts examined were made the day before the episodes aired (Tuesday), the day of airing (Wednesday), and the day after the episode aired (Thursday).
Episode One
When conducting an analysis of the Facebook posts made for the first episode examined, or “Till Duck Do Us Part,” A&E’s social media team did not follow its social media plan of three posts per day, per episode (nine posts per episode). There were 15 posts made between the day before the episode aired and the day after, or
August 13th-15th. All of the posts made included some type of graphic, a photo, caricature, or a graphic. Four of these posts were made on August 13, 2013, six posts 55
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were made the day of the premiere or August 14, 2013, and five were posted the day after or August 15, 2013. Within these posts the following hashtags (#) were commonly found: #DuckDynasty, #DuckNation, #HappyHappyHappy and
#RedneckRenewal. The posts often included links. These links led to the Duck
Dynasty website, the Duck Dynasty Facebook page, videos, and competitions and drawings for viewers. A post made on the day after the episode aired (see Figure 4.1) received the largest response with 294,606 likes, 7,940 comments, and was shared
28,741 times. It was the only post made with a catchphrase from the show,
#HappyHappyHappy. The caption of the post read “Thanks for watching #DuckNation! SHARE if tonight's episode made you #HappyHappyHappy!”
Figure 4. 1 Facebook post with largest
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The post with the smallest response from followers was an image of a cane with the head of a duck as the top (see Figure 4.2), advertising merchandise from the show, sold in the A&E shop (shop.aetv.com). This post was only commented on 173 times and shared 388 times. This post is an example of one of the largest themes found within the Facebook posts, money and branding, or the agenda of the network.
The social media team is using the platform of the show to sell merchandise from the
A&E online store.
Figure 4.2 Duck cane used in Facebook post
Another example of this can be seen in Figure 4.3, a post made on August 14, 2014 promoting Duck Dynasty’s merchandise at Walmart. The image included in the post has the hashtag #WinDuckGear, enticing viewers to use the hashtag to win the merchandise. The post received 37,168 likes, 930 comments, and 2,311 shares.
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Figure 4.3 Duck Dynasty Merchandise at Walmart
The two themes found in the posts were family and marriage. The day before the episode aired, a picture of the Robertsons landing in New York City was posted, shown in Figure 4.4, asking the followers to show love for their favorite family. There was also a photo posted of brothers Willie and Alan, with a quote from the episode.
As shown in Figure 4.5, Alan is referred to as the beardless brother.
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Figure 4.4 Robertson family landing in NYC
Figure 4.5 Still of Willie and Alan from the episode “Till Duck Do Us Part”
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Many of the posted images were related to marriage, the main theme of the season premiere, but only two of the 15 had captions actually talking about the theme of marriage. The first of those was posted on the day of the premiere, letting viewers know that later that day Miss Kay would be walking down the aisle. The other of these posts was the day after the episode aired; asking viewers to post a comment letting others know their favorite moment from the show. The other posts that used pictures of the wedding had captions relating to monetary purposes, such as merchandise, viewership, and sharing the images. An example of this was a post made on August
14th, with the caption “It’s almost time for a #DuckDyansty #RedneckRenewal!
SHARE if you’ll be tuning in at 10/9c!”
The following tables are recreations of the researcher’s codebook. Table 1 illustrates the Facebook posts coded for Episode One and provides the dates the posts were made, a brief description of the image used in the post, and the caption of the post. It also provides the posts with an identification number, which is used in Table
2. Table 2 provides further information for each post. This information includes the number of likes, comments, and shares each post received, as well as the hashtags (#) used in each post.
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Table 4.1
Description of Facebook Posts Coded for Episode One
Identification Date Posted Short Description of Caption Number of Post Image Used
1 8/13/2013 Four Main Guys- Cover Show your #DuckNation pride with these exclusive Photo cover photos! Add one to your page now! #DuckDynasty http://aetv.us/18rTTYd
2 8/13/2013 Robertsons at NYC The Robertsons have landed in NYC and they're Airport taking over for#DynastyDay! Follow along as your favorite family takes over Instagram, Vine, and Twitter! Get quacking!
3 8/13/2013 Cartoon of Duck Dynasty ONE DAY until the season premiere of Wife #DuckDynasty! Tune in tomorrow night for the #RedneckRenewal at 10/9c!
4 8/13/2013 Phil in Shed with Duck Are you quacking crazy for #DuckDynasty? Prove Call it! Tweet #DuckDynasty to help generate the longest duck call in all of history! Every tweet adds another second to the call. http://aetv.us/endlessquack
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Table 4.1 Continued
Identification Date Posted Short Description of Caption Number of Post Image Used
5 8/14/2013 Cartoon of Miss Kay and Today's the day! Miss Kay will be walking down Phil the aisle tonight at 10/9c for a #RedneckRenewal. Tell us why you love #DuckDynasty!
6 8/14/2013 Merchandise at Walmart Enter for a chance to win a shopping cart full of #DuckDynastygear from Walmart valued at $250. Contest ends on Friday at midnight ET. Enter now at walmart.com/winduckgear!#winduckgear
7 8/14/2013 Jase and Missi Robertson, It’s almost time for “Never underestimate the a #DuckDynasty #RedneckRenewal! SHARE if power of a good old you'll be tuning in at 10/9c! fashioned compliment”
8 8/14/2013 Miss Kay Cartoon Sticker We can hear wedding bells! LIKE if you're tuning in now to the #RedneckRenewal season premiere of #DuckDynasty. Check in on GetGlue and claim your premiere sticker now: http://aetv.us/16QiTsV
9 8/14/2013 Willie and Alan Being the oldest of four can't be easy, especially in the#DuckDynasty family! Meet the beardless brother, Alan! #RedneckRenewal
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Table 4.1 Continued
Identification Date Posted Short Description of Caption Number of Post Image Used
10 8/14/2013 Mini Miss Kay Sticker Prove you're not a West Coast yuppie and check in to the premiere episode of #DuckDynasty on GetGlue right now! http://aetv.us/16QiTsV
11 8/15/2013 Photo of Phil and Miss Thanks for watching #DuckNation! SHARE if Kay After Wedding tonight's episode made you #HappyHappyHappy!
12 8/15/2013 Duck Cane Take your love for #DuckDynasty wherever you go! #DuckNation http://aetv.us/11JXrns
13 8/15/2013 Mountain Man Missed the epic #RedneckRenewal? Join the rest of the#DuckNation and catch up! http://aetv.us/19ktLQ8
14 8/15/2013 Video of Best Wishes Redneck Renewal Best Wishes to Phil and Kay. The Robertsons and friends reminisce on their favorite memories of Phil and Kay together. SHARE to wish the couple a Happy Happy Happy #RedneckRenewal! #DuckDynasty
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Table 4.1 Continued
Identification Date Posted Short Description of Caption Number of Post Image Used
15 8/15/2013 Still Shot at Wedding Cheers to 11.8 million strong in the #DuckNation, y'all are quacktastic! #DuckDynasty http://aetv.us/14POhHo
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Table 4.2
Number of Likes, Comments, Shares, and Hashtags Used in Facebook Posts from Episode One
Identification Number Number of Likes Number of Comments Number of Shares Hashtags Used of Post Received Received Received
1 24,875 261 4,855 #DuckNation, #DuckDynasty
2 48,233 1,118 1,978 #DynastyDay
3 30,567 436 7,812 #DuckDynasty, #RedneckRenewal
4 35,175 467 1,531 #DuckDynasty
5 134,092 4,151 23,356 #RedneckRenewal, #DuckDynasty
6 37,168 930 2,311 #DuckDynasty, #winduckgear
7 103,561 1,492 21,521 #DuckDynasty, #RedneckRenewal
8 34,185 690 1,632 #DuckDynasty, #RedneckRenewal
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Table 4.2 Continued
Identification Number Number of Likes Number of Comments Number of Shares Hashtags Used of Post Received Received Received
9 159,952 4,194 8,051 #DuckDynasty, #RedneckRenewal
10 11,803 331 134 #DuckDynasty
11 294,606 7,940 28,741 #DuckNation, #HappyHappyHappy
12 13,371 173 388 #DuckDynasty, #DuckNation
13 36,205 1,159 1,337 #RedneckRenewal, #DuckNation
14 34,014 1,177 6,508 #RedneckRenewal!, #DuckDynasty
15 248,376 4,964 12,043 #DuckNation, #DuckDynasty
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Episode Two
When conducting an analysis of the Facebook posts made for the second episode examined, or “So You Think You Can Date?” A&E’s social media team did not follow its stated social media plan of three posts per day, per episode (nine posts per episode) (Greco, personal communication, 2014). The social media team did follow the plan the day before and the day after the episode aired. There were 11 posts made between the day before the episode aired and the day after, or August 20th-22nd.
Three of these posts were made on August 20, 2013, five posts were made the day of the premiere or August 21, 2013, and three were posted the day after or August 22,
2013. Within these posts the following hashtags (#) were commonly found:
#DuckDynasty, #DuckNation, #HappyHappyHappy and #RedneckRenewal. The posts often included links, similar to the links found in the previous episode posts.
The researcher found that although the posts were commonly pictures related to the themes found within the episode, such as family and friendship, the captions of the posts did not match the messages portrayed by the images. An example of this is a post captioned with a phrase from the episode, “wii-pod”, as well as a link for viewers to watch the episode if they missed it, but the image is a picture of a few of the granddaughters, seen in Figure 4.6.
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Figure 4.6 Still of Robertson granddaughters from “So You Think You Can Date” episode
The only posts that stated anything familial related were stickers, shown in
Figure 4.7, of Phil the social media team wanted the followers to “collect.” In the posts the captions referred to Phil as “Papaw Phil.” but the image does not show any of the other family members. These “stickers” are digital, and are used throughout the posts of both episodes. The stickers are “limited time only” and are to be collected by followers. The researcher is unsure of what other purposes they serve to viewers or followers.
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Figure 4.7 Sticker of “Papaw Phil”
A majority of posts made for both episodes revolved around building viewership or things of monetary value: getting followers to watch the episodes as well as promoting merchandise and the Duck Dynasty website. There was also posts made reminding the west coast viewers when the episodes when be airing, stating
“Hey West Coast! An all new episode of #DuckDynasty starts now!” The posts do offer a variety of cast members throughout the images, with Si, Phil and Miss Kay being shown the most. The social media team uses images of different cast members throughout the posts. In this variety, a picture of Jep and his wife Jessica is used, as well as the granddaughters, the other wives, family friends, and employees Martin and
Godwin. The Facebook posts coded and analyzed for Episode Two can been seen in both Table 3 and Table 4. Table 3 provides the date the posts were made, a brief 69
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description of the image used in the post, and the caption of the post. Table 4 provides the number of likes, comments, and shares the post received. Table 4 also includes the hashtags used in each post.
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Table 4.3
Description of Facebook Posts Coded for Episode Two
Identification Number Date Posted Short Description of Caption of Post Image Used
1 8/20/2013 Si With Sign Hey Jack, SHARE this post 30,000 times to unlock a secret video from the Duck Commander warehouse. #DuckDynasty
2 8/20/2013 Guestbook Congrats Susan T. from Texas for making it into the #RedneckRenewal guestbook. LIKE if you're excited for the new episode tomorrow! #DuckDynasty!
3 8/20/2013 Meme, Promoting Your favorite #DuckDynasty moments all in one DuckDestination.com place. It's a fan's paradise! www.DuckDestination.com!
4 8/21/2013 Martin and Jessica Get quacking! Martin goes on a date in tonight's new episode of#DuckDynasty at 10/9c.
5 8/21/2013 Wives Dressing Martin Only two hours until an all new episode #DuckNation! Martin gets a makeover from the Robertson women at 10/9c.#DuckDynasty
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Table 4.3 Continued
Identification Number Date Posted Short Description of Caption of Post Image Used
6 8/21/2013 Phil Sticker An all new episode of #DuckDynasty starts now! Check in on GetGlue to claim this limited time Papaw Phil sticker! http://aetv.us/1d2fT1Q
7 8/21/2013 Si Meme Don't hate the player, hate the game. #DuckDynasty
8 8/21/2013 Share of Phil Sticker for Hey West Coast! An all new episode of the West Coast #DuckDynasty starts now! Check in on GetGlue to claim this limited time Papaw Phil Sticker!
9 8/22/2013 Robertson You can catch this one on your Wii-Pod. Watch last Granddaughters night's #DuckDynasty now! http://aetv.us/185Pp7u
10 8/22/2013 Jep and Godwin The Duck Commander warehouse had a special guest today, he was not impressed. Find out who dropped by: http://aetv.us/1aw1HMD
11 8/22/2013 Si in a Boa Fill in the blank for your chance to be our #DuckDynasty Lucky Duck of the Week: Si's dating tips are better than ______.
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Table 4.4
Number of Likes, Comments, Shares, and Hashtags Used in Facebook Posts from Episode Two
Identification Number Number of Likes Number of Comments Number of Shares Hashtags Used of Post Received Received Received
1 59,091 571 17,631 #DuckDynasty
2 9,585 321 231 #RedneckRenewal, #DuckDynasty
3 80,768 857 9,763 #DuckDynasty
4 150,230 1,902 70,443 #DuckDynasty
5 62,582 694 4,154 #DuckNation, #DuckDynasty
6 46,525 518 2,587 #DuckDynasty
7 103,658 1,492 21,521 #DuckDynasty, #RedneckRenewal
8 3,446 690 1,632 #DuckDynasty, #RedneckRenewal
9 44,431 859 790 #DuckDynasty
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Table 4.4 Continued Identification Number Number of Likes Number of Comments Number of Shares Hashtags Used of Post Received Received Received
10 39,065 867 2,932
11 41,578 9,282 2,417 #DuckDynasty
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Research Question Three
Research Question Three sought to understand the themes found in follower comments made on posts found on the A&E Duck Dynasty Facebook page, posts which were previously examined for Research Question Two. Between the two episodes chosen, 1,300 comments were analyzed, or the first 50 comments for each post from A&E.
In “Till Duck Do Us Part” the researcher looked at 750 comments. Within those comments, the catchphrase “Happy Happy Happy” was the most commonly used at 61 times. The second most common catchphrase was one used by Si, “Jack.”
The hashtag most commonly found within the comments was #DuckDynasty, and Phil and Miss Kay were the cast members most commonly mentioned by viewers. Phil was mentioned 81 times and Miss Kay was mentioned 74 times.
In “So You Think You Can Date?” the researcher looked at 550 comments, and within those comments the catchphrases “Happy Happy Happy” and “Jack” were most commonly used, the same as in the previous episode’s comments. Although the episode was focused more on Martin, Phil and Si were the cast members mentioned the most with 60 and 53 mentions respectively. The hashtag #DuckDynasty was the most frequently used of the four used at 16 hashtags. Phil was the most commonly mentioned cast member, with 60 mentions. There were also five mentions of “Phil for
President.” Although this episode did have more negative comments than the aforementioned episode, most of the more negative comments had to do with the time 75
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slot of the show or wanting all episodes to be an hour long rather than only 30 minutes. These comments consisted of “the episodes need to be longer” and that the episode had “too many commercials.”
Although the posts on the Facebook page did not refer to the themes found within the episodes often, the comments made by viewers and fans did. It was common to see a comment that did not relate to the post at all. The themes and topics of family and faith were the most frequently mentioned, as well as how family friendly the show is, how clean the show is, and how much enjoyment the viewers gets from watching the show. Viewers also regularly said how much they loved Duck Dynasty and wished there were more shows like it on television with comments like “hopefully the success of the show will convince the big networks that it is ok to have more quality family shows” and “Pray as a family, America needs more of it!”
One viewer commented “the Robertsons don’t apologize for being God fearing, family valued, gun using Americans. And I am glad. Keep up the good work.”
Another viewer said that Duck Dynasty was “a show you can watch with your kids without worrying about drugs, drinking, or sex.” Another viewer said “[I] love the fact that you always show and live your Christian faith in each show. “ A few viewers mentioned they thought the family represented “getting back to the basics” and believed we as a society needed to do the same. One commenter said “a family that prays together stays together,” while another said “Pray as a family, Americans need more of it!” 76
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While a vast majority of the comments were positive, the show also had its share of negative comments. The negative comments ranged from saying the show was staged or consisted of “redneck idiots.” In one comment, the viewer called the show “scripted redneckery.” One viewer said they thought the show “had jumped the shark,” while another said they didn’t like the wives having so much time in the episode and only wanted to see the guys. There were also comments made that seemed to be responding to previous negative comments, often referring to the person who made the original comment, but the original comment was not visible. When asked their policy on dealing with negative comments, the A&E social media team did not respond.
The researcher also coded multiple comments related to Duck Dynasty merchandise. One commenter said they found the Robertsons to be “very honest and faithful people” but wished their merchandise did not come from China. One viewer made a comment about a family who supports America should not have their products made in China. One viewer commented about being “sad” the merchandise was at
Walmart at all, and expressed their dislike for the company.
When coding, the researcher looked for conversations started within the comments. The researcher found that conversations between viewers were the most common in the beginning comments of a post. The conversations started over a variety of topics, including questions about characters or the show, humorous observations, and a few began over a viewer’s lack of cable. The number of likes a 77
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comment received were similar to how conversations were started. As the number of comments increased, the number of likes a comment received decreased.
Research Question Four
Research Question Four sought to compare the themes found in Duck Dynasty episodes, posts made on the A&E Facebook page, and the comments made to those posts. By comparing the themes found in these three areas, the researcher wanted to know if the themes found in the episodes (family, faith, natural resources) and posts to the Facebook page were similar or different. The researcher then wanted to discover how the viewers and followers of both the Facebook page and the show reacted to these messages, and find out their opinion on the messages.
The researcher found there was little to no connection between the themes found within the episodes of Duck Dynasty and the posts on the A&E Duck Dynasty
Facebook page. Within the episodes it is easy to see the themes of faith, family, and nature. With the posts, A&E’s social media team used images of these themes, minus faith, but with captions that had nothing to do with the themes. The captions used were designed to get more shares, likes, comments, and overall followers and viewers, not to promote the messages and values of the Robertson family. An example of this was the photo of the Robertson granddaughters, Figure 5, which was posted with the caption “You can catch this one on your Wii-Pod. Watch last night’s #DuckDynasty now!” Although the image shows family being together, the social media team is really pushing viewers to watch using a one-liner from the episode. Another example 78
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of this mixed messaging can be found in Figure 4.8, a picture of Jase and Missy from the wedding and the quote “never underestimate the power of a good old fashioned compliment,” but the caption of the post is encouraging viewers to share the image is they are planning on watching along, saying “It’s almost time for a #DuckDynasty
#RedneckRenwal! SHARE if you’ll be tuning in at 10/9c!”
Figure 4.8 Still from “Till Duck Do Us Part” with quote from the episode
The same cannot be said for the followers. Many of the comments made were about how great it was to have a show the audience could watch without fear of what their children see, or having a family who is so secure in their faith and is willing to share it with others. Viewer appreciation was shown in comments like “a show kids can watch, family friendly, and genuine prayer at the end” and “[I] love a show I can let 79
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my kids watch without worrying what they will see.” Many viewers, predominantly women, appreciated the good examples of marriage the show provided, saying “loved
Miss Kay's vows, there is something wonderful about a love that has lasted a lifetime,”
“love the way Phil and Miss Kay look at each other,” and “I want a love like Phil and
Miss Kay”. Although there were not a lot of comments regarding natural resources, there were mentions of loving the fact that the Robertsons use guns, support gun rights, and hunt. Some of those comments included “love some redneck ways, God, guns and family” and “[it is] refreshing to see family eat together, have fun, work and hunt together.”
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CHAPTER V
CONCLUSIONS, DISCUSSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS This chapter presents the conclusions, implications, and recommendations obtained from the data collected. The purpose of this case study was to examine the themes found throughout the episodes and social media of Duck Dynasty. With the growing popularity of Social TV and the changes in the television content and programing, it is important to adapt to the changes. The following questions were answered to accomplish this study:
This chapter summarizes the results reported in Chapter IV and provides conclusions, discussion, and recommendations.
The following research questions were used to accomplish this study:
1. What themes are found in each episode of Duck Dynasty?
2. What themes are found in the posts made to the A&E Duck Dynasty
Facebook page the day before the episode airs, the day it airs, and the day
after?
3. What themes are found in follower comments on the posts?
4. What do the themes found in questions 1-3 have in common, and where do
they differ?
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Research Question One
Research Question One sought to describe the themes found within the two episodes of A&E’s Duck Dynasty with the highest ratings of the series, per the A&E social media team. The two episodes selected were the first and second episodes of the fourth season. The episodes were viewed by two researchers, observations were made during viewing, and then those observations were compared. Based on the observations made, the following themes were found in both episodes: family, faith, natural resources, and friendship.
Barney (2013) said the Robertsons putting family first is the reason for their popularity, stating “they’re an affectionate, devout brood that works, plays, and prays together” (p. 1). This was shown throughout both of the episodes selected, from Jase and Willie picking on Martin before his big date, to Alan officiating his parents vow renewal. Duck Dynasty was originally meant to be a serious show about a hunting family, but after producers saw what the family was like in real life, decided to make the show about the “close-knit” and “funny” family instead (Alter, 2013).
The first reality television show was The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
Roman (2005) stated what made the show intriguing to viewers was “that they were a real family whose dynamics unfolded on television” (p. 82), the same can be said about Duck Dynasty almost 50 years later. Every scene of both episodes viewed had something to do with family, from Willie and Jep playing Battle Ship to Missy and
Cory helping Martin get ready for his date. The cast of Duck Dynasty is a dynamic 82
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group that is always up to something. Regardless of arguing, teasing, and competitions, at the end of every episode they sit down together to pray and enjoy a meal. Like the “family” Roman (2005) was talking about when discussing MTV’s
The Real World, some of the family on Duck Dynasty are not family by blood, but by choice or friendship. In “Till Duck Do Us Part,” Martin and Godwin assist the family in planning and decorating for the wedding, while Mountain Man helps by building the arbor Phil and Miss. Kay were married under. In “So You Think You Can Date” the episode centers around the wives helping Martin get ready for a date, and Willie and Jase tease him and gang up on him like brothers do.
Faith is a large part of the Robertson family, making it an important element of
Duck Dynasty. After kicking his family out and a living the party lifestyle, Phil
Robertson found his faith (Robertson, Robertson, & Schlabach, 2012). When originally promoting the show, A&E used the tag line “Money. Family. Ducks” (Ross
Jr., 2012). When the Robertsons originally saw this tag line, they instantly disliked it, and fixed it by crossing out the word “Money” and replacing it with the word “Faith”
(Ross Jr., 2012). Reiss and Wiltz (2004) found reality shows often have a low level of morals. The opposite is demonstrated on Duck Dynasty, Fernandez (2013) explained it saying “while the Robertsons sometimes argue, they are religious Southerners who never curse and are always looking to enjoying life” (p. 2). Marshall (2013) states standard reality fare is friction and fits of rage and four letter-words” (p. 1), but because of their faith the worst word used on the show is “idiot.” Faith was shown in 83
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both episodes through the use of prayer, both before the ending dinner scene and when
Phil and Miss Kay were being married in front of their family. In an interview with
The Christian Chronicle, Phil Robertson talked about his family’s faith on the show, saying “They pretty much cut out most of the spiritual things…We say them, but they just don’t run them on the show” (Ross Jr., 2012, para. 5).
Natural resources play a large role in the Robertsons’ lives, from growing up in the woods, hunting and fishing, to their livelihood in the sporting goods industry. In the episodes viewed, the outdoors and natural resources were commonly found to be the background of the scenes. Phil and Miss. Kay’s wedding takes place in the woods, next to the river, with an arbor made of deer antlers and branches. In the second episode viewed, various cast members are seen fishing in multiple scenes. There are also various shots of the outdoors in-between scenes. Marshall (2013) stated that through the success of Duck Dynasty, the family is “still most comfortable outdoors hunting or fishing or blowing stuff up” (p. 2).
Logan (1996) describes community as “the image of the small town gathering places where social relationships are face to face and personal where everyone knows your name” (p. 20). The researcher chose to describe this more as friendship when analyzing the episodes of Duck Dynasty. Friendship and a sense of community are important in rural areas. In both episodes the Robertson’s close friends were included, almost to the point to be considered part of the family. This could be seen when
Martin, Godwin, and Mountain Man were given tasks to help put together the surprise 84
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wedding in Episode One. It can be seen in Episode Two when the wives take it upon themselves to help Martin get ready for his date, refusing to take no for answer almost like sisters would. The importance of these friendships can be seen when these friends are included in both the family dinners and prayers at the end of the episodes. If not told that they were friends and coworkers, it could easily be assumed they were family members.
Research Question Two
Research Question Two sought to describe the themes found within posts made to the Duck Dynasty Facebook page, which are generated by an A&E social media team. The posts examined were made the day before each episode aired, the day they aired, and the day after each episode aired. Between the two episodes, 26 posts were coded, 15 from the first episode and the remaining 11 from the second.
In both sets of posts coded, the most prevalent theme was money and branding.
The theme of money was shown through the pushing of merchandise, and branding through the increasing of viewers, social media followers, shares, and comments. An example of this is the caption to a post made on August 13th, while accompanying a photo of Phil Robertson in the original home of Duck Commander, stating “Are you quacking crazy for #DuckDynasty? Prove it! Tweet #DuckDynasty to help generate the longest duck call in all of history!” The captions of the posts were monetary or branding themed: increasing viewership, promoting merchandise, the picture used as the backgrounds were related to family, marriage, and friendship. 85
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Park, Kee, and Valenzuela (2009) found that Facebook is most commonly used for socializing, entertainment, self-status seeking, and for information. On the A&E
Duck Dynasty page, the social media team used the page and posts to socialize with viewers and supporters of the show, use links and pictures to entertain the followers, and provide them with information of upcoming episodes. Whiting and Williams
(2013) found that “social media is a communication mechanism that allows users to communicate with thousands, perhaps billions, of individuals all over the world” (p.
363). Although the A&E Duck Dynasty Facebook page does not have billions of followers, it does have millions and is growing every day. The social media team in charge of the Duck Dynasty’s Facebook page helps it to grow by using a social media plan, created to help attract followers as well as gain likes and shares of the content generated. The plan discussed over correspondence was to post three times a day per episode (Greco, Personal Communication, Feb. 2, 2014).
Research Question Three
Research Question Three sought to describe the themes found within the comments made on the posts examined for Research Question Two. The researcher looked at the first 50 comments posted on each Facebook post, which was 1,300 posts in total. In both episodes, Phil was the most commonly mentioned cast member and
#DuckDynasty was the most frequently used hashtag. Overall the comments were positive, more so for the first episode posts than the other.
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The themes of the positive comments were almost celebrating the show for being able to watch it with their family, family values, and Christianity. Most of the negative comments were found in the second episode posts, the theme of those comments included wanting the show to be moved to a more “family friendly” time slot, gold digger comments (calling the wives of Duck Dynasty gold diggers because they are all very pretty and are with the Robertson men), and disliking that the show had a merchandising deal with Walmart. The researcher believes the viewers were not as excited about the second episode as they were about the first, which lead to them being more negative than when they were excited about the premiere.
Papacharissi and Mendelson (2005) found that letting audiences have a say in the shows they want to see and to “create the media” (p. 355) is very important.
Television networks are giving viewers the chance to speak their opinions and show support, using social media. Haythornthwaite (2005) said social networks online allow people to have connections that they would not be able to have face-to-face, and with the reply feature on comments, Facebook allows people to respond to comments.
Many of the comments coded led to discussions using this function, mostly in the first few posted comments.
Nielsen (2014) said that the idea of social television is not a fad and it “creates some of the most influential conversations out there” (para. 2). By allowing viewers to discuss what they like or dislike about a show, they are telling networks and programmers what they want to see on television, creating an influence. Social TV has 87
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also become influential enough to also influence television ratings. Nielsen (2014) also found programmers are “integrating hashtags and social conversations directly into their shows” (para. 2). This can be seen in the viewer comments, which often include #DuckDynasty, #RedneckRenewal, #DuckNation, and #HappyHappyHappy.
Research Question Four
Research Question Four sought to compare the themes found in questions one through three, and to determine if the themes were the same or if there were noticeable differences. The researcher found the themes and messages in the episodes and the themes being discussed by viewers within the comments were very similar. The themes found in the episodes, family, faith, natural resources, and friendship, were often mentioned by viewers in their Facebook comments. Examples of this are comments like “the Robertsons don’t apologize for being God fearing, family valued, gun using Americans. I am glad, keep up the good work!” and “Refreshing to see a family eat, have fun, work, and hunt together.” The viewers appreciated the themes found within the episodes, and many mentioned those themes being the reason they watched the show. One viewer said Duck Dynasty is a “simple show everyone can watch, [with] great values. [There is] nothing wrong with hunting, fun, and the bible.”
The researcher found this interesting because these were not the themes promoted through the Facebook posts, which used images related to the themes but actually were only pushing a monetary and/or branding agenda. Social media is now used as an easy way for companies to reach large amounts of people, and is a valuable 88
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marketing too. While the show often shows the family business and discusses orders they need to fill, the show itself does not revolve around money. The social media posts do focus on money and branding in multiple ways.
Discussion
Duck Dynasty fans love the show because its cast members are not afraid to show their love for America, their faith, or each other. At the end of every episode, the family prays and then has a meal together and fans love the almost “old” tradition taking them “back to the basics.” There were comments made by viewers saying the show has become too scripted and less “real.” Although some of the scenes did seem more set up than authentic, the actions, ideas, and feelings behind those scenes did not.
An example of this was that only cast members were at Phil and Miss Kay’s vow renewal. In reality, the couple probably would have had more people there to witness the renewal, but that does not mean that the intentions of the family were not sincere when they planned it or that the words spoken were not real.
With the use of social TV, fans are able to interact and converse with each other while watching the show. Whiting and Williams (2013) found one of the main reasons people use social media is to “communicate with thousands, and perhaps billions, of individuals all over the world” (p. 363). This is easily done using the hashtags provided by the A&E social media team, hoping to facilitate conversation by using the same hashtags in all three of their social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The social media team has even taken it a step further by displaying 89
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specific hashtags on air, during the episode, asking viewers to use it while tweeting and/or posting. Because the researchers watched the episodes on DVD, rather than live, the hashtags were not included and were therefore not included in the observations made.
White (2013) listed six gratifications prominent when using the Internet, those included “entertainment, obtaining information, social interaction, convenience, relaxation, and to pass time” (p. 25). During this study, the researcher felt that the first three of these gratifications were the most prevalent. The A&E social media team makes a conscious effort to entertain their followers with a variety of videos, links, and contests. The team also provides their followers with information about upcoming events or appearances, as well as upcoming episodes. By using social media, the viewers of Duck Dynasty have the ability to interact with fellow viewers, as well as share their opinions about different posts and episodes. Quan-Haase and Young (2010) found that each social media platform offers users different features. By using three multiple platforms, the A&E social media team can use those various features to appeal to larger groups of people, creating an even wider following resulting in a larger audience. Park, Kee and Valenzuela (2009) found that connecting as a community and community engagement can be accomplished using online groups.
Community engagement and strength was put to the test in December 2013 after GQ released their article, resulting in Phil Robertson’s suspension. The “community” of
Duck Dynasty viewers and followers banded together to let A&E, Cracker Barrel, and 90
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the world know what they thought about the situation, and where their support lies.
Although many of these followers did not know each other face to face, or away from the computer or other screens, they knew that by following the show they had a common ground: to save Phil Robertson and Duck Dynasty.
Recommendations
Practitioners
Social TV and social media may be considered new concepts, but they are ones that will be around for a long time to come. With more than one billion monthly users,
Facebook is still going strong (Facebook, 2014). As viewers become more accustomed to the concept of communicating while watching their television programing, practitioners of agricultural communications will have to work on producing content that is both informational but also gives viewers something to talk about and connect with. White (2013) states “practitioners must decide the types of information their audience members want or need and find a way to provide it in a way they would understand, and even be willing to share” (p. 83).
The researcher recommends the practitioner start out with one medium of social media, rather than overwhelming themselves with multiples. Different platforms of social media have different tools and formats, which can make it harder when creating content. Once the posting and content creation schedule is figured out, move on to the next. Creating successful social media campaigns can be a process of trial
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and error. These social media plans can be used for more than just connecting with viewers of a television shows.
Social media is now being used as a branding tool for a variety of companies and products. Because of this, the researcher also recommends the practitioner evaluate their audience, and if applicable, use the themes found within episodes
(family, faith, natural resources) when creating marketing campaigns and trying to reach people. The researcher also suggests practitioners embed hashtags and links into their social media plans and posts. The followers like to use them when discussing their favorite television shows or when discussing events they have attended.
In the business world there are countless events held, mostly coordinated by those in communications related positions. One of the best ways to promote an event is through the use of social media. The researcher recommends practitioners consider using a similar social media plan to that of Duck Dynasty when promoting their event.
The researcher recommends that practitioners create a social media plan with posts consistent with their company or organization’s mission statement and values, while using images and links to catch the follower’s attention. The researcher recommends using external links to allow the follower the option of having further information, if they want it, rather than providing it all in the posts. This will also allow practitioners to use social media such as Twitter that has restrictions on the amount of text used in posts.
Research 92
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Although this study does examine social media, Facebook in particular, and why it is used, the results are limited. The findings of this study have a few important implications for future practice. One of those being to look at other A&E generated social media platforms for Duck Dynasty other than Facebook to see the messages being presented to the public and what their comments would be. With different social media platforms come different limitations, for example Twitter only allowing 140 characters per message. These limitations might result in different comments and feelings toward the show.
The researcher would also recommend conducting an audience study, using either interviews or surveys, to help better understand why viewers watch. By conducting these interviews or surveys, the researcher could then compare the responses to the comments from the viewers used in this study. It is believed that people are “braver” when behind a computer or second screen, so face-to-face interviews might cause there to be a greater variance in positive and negative comments.
Another recommendation for further research would be to look at shows similar to Duck Dynasty. Southern, agriculture and natural resources themed reality shows seem to be popular right now, many of them concentrating on the same themes found within this study (faith, family, natural resources), and some of them are more agriculturally focused. Future researchers might also look at only one of the themes found in this study, but within multiple television shows. 93
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With the continued popularity of social media, social TV will continue to be a strong tool in the world of television marketing. Pynta et al. (2014) found that the only research being conducted about social TV is in the industry. Because of the lack of academic research, the researcher recommends that researchers examine how social
TV is being used by agricultural and natural resourced themed television shows.
Within these studies the researcher should examine the plan of the social media team, and how the results of using social TV are affecting the show and its popularity.
The researcher also suggests future research be conducted on the use of social media in terms of promoting specific events. Social media is only gaining popularity, and after examining the social media plan of Duck Dynasty, there is a lot of potential research that could be done on the promotion aspect of particular agriculture events.
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