Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications Spring 2011 Issue Published by the School of Communications Elon University Joining the World of Journals Welcome to the nation’s first and, to our knowledge, only undergraduate research journal in communi- cations. We discovered this fact while perusing the Web site of the Council on Undergraduate Research, which lists and links to the 60 or so undergraduate research journals nationwide (http://www.cur.org/ugjournal. html). Some of these journals focus on a discipline (e.g., Journal of Undergraduate Research in Physics), some are university-based and multidisciplinary (e.g., MIT Undergraduate Research Journal), and some are university-based and disciplinary (e.g., Furman University Electronic Journal in Undergraduate Mathematics). The Elon Journal is the first to focus on undergraduate research in journalism, media and communi- cations. The School of Communications at Elon University is the creator and publisher of the online journal. The first issue was published in Spring 2010 under the editorship of Dr. Byung Lee, associate professor in the School of Communications. The three purposes of the journal are: • To publish the best undergraduate research in Elon’s School of Communications each term, • To serve as a repository for quality work to benefit future students seeking models for how to do undergraduate research well, and • To advance the university’s priority to emphasize undergraduate student research. The Elon Journal is published twice a year, with spring and fall issues. Articles and other materials in the journal may be freely downloaded, reproduced and redistributed without permission as long as the author and source are properly cited. Student authors retain copyright own- ership of their works. Celebrating Student Research This journal reflects what we enjoy seeing in our students -- intellectual maturing. As 18 year olds, some students enter college wanting to earn a degree, but unsure if they want an education. They may question whether communication theory has anything to do with real life. Ready to start their media careers, many would rather focus on workplace skills than analyze issues and concepts. In Elon’s School of Communications, we strive for a balance among concepts, writing and production. All are important. Student media and organizations are terrific venues for the practice of journalism, broadcasting, pub- lic relations, advertising and cinema. In turn, this journal celebrates the life of the intellect through undergraduate research. It represents the intellectual maturing that occurs by the senior year. These published articles make us aware of the solitary hours that students spend in research and the untold hours in which student and teacher-mentor work together to revise a paper for public consumption. It’s exciting to see students conducting research in such arenas as social media and press freedom. By focusing attention on undergraduate research, this journal helps reinforce all that we think a uni- versity should be. Dr. Paul Parsons, Dean School of Communications Editorial Board Twenty-three faculty members in Elon’s School of Communications served as the Editorial Board that selected the 11 undergraduate research papers appearing in the 2011 spring issue. From more than 100 research papers written in advanced School of Communications classes, 28 were submitted to the journal by Elon communications students through the encouragement and mentoring of capstone teachers and other professors in the school. In the absence of journal editor Byung Lee, who was on sabbatical, Associate Dean Don Grady supervised the evaluation of research papers in a multiple blind- review process to identify the best student work. Professors who served as the Editorial Board were: Janna Anderson, Brooke Barnett, Lee Bush, Naeemah Clark, David Copeland, Michael Frontani, Kenn Gaither, Mandy Gallagher, Jessica Gisclair, Don Grady, Anthony Hatcher, Daniel Haygood, Derek Lackaff, Harlen Makemson, Barbara Miller, Phillip Motley, Thomas Nelson, George Padgett, Paul Parsons, Glenn Scott, Amanda Sturgill, Frances Ward-Johnson and Qian Xu. Editor’s Note Students study various subjects and acquire skills to gather and analyze information in college. In the Senior Capstone course, these students engage in a culminating experience by writing a journal article for competitive review. Through writing a research paper, students have a chance to apply their learning, collect information and data and interpret findings based on the theories they have learned. Rather than just reciting established theories and facts, they explore and acquire new data and test them against theories. This kind of knowledge production will be a great asset to students living in a rapidly changing environment, where new ideas and solutions are continuously demanded. While employing different methods and managing data, many students discover the complexity of working on a project where a straightforward blueprint simply does not exist. They notice that even though they may have come to one conclusion, a completely different outcome could have been possible with a dif- ferent method or set of data. Students often struggle in doing research because they must seamlessly integrate all aspects of their research, a daunting job for students who have not done assignments of this complexity. The law of gravity dawned on Issac Newton when an apple fell on his head. Many of the manuscript authors in this issue must have also experienced this magical moment when all pieces in their manuscript suddenly crystallized after their strenuous effort to understand data and put an accurate interpretation on their data. Although the topics of papers varied, the most popular topic related to social media, such as Face- book, Twitter and blogs. Wayne Gretzky once said something like a great hockey player will skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been. I am glad that our students recognized the importance of emerging social network sites and tackled this pertinent related issue that is not fully understood even by academics today. Dr. Don Grady was responsible for overseeing the review process. Without his help, this edition of the Elon Journal would not have been possible. Dr. Byung Lee Journal Editor The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications Volume 2, No. 1 • Spring 2011 Is Generation Y Addicted to Social Media? Jaclyn Cabral 5 Tweet Talking: How Modern Technology and Social Media Are Changing Sports Communication Drew Hancherick 15 Social Media Sites of Politicians Influence Their Perception by Constituents Annie Hellweg 22 Online Word of Mouth: Characteristics of Yelp.com Reviews Tiana Tucker 37 The Relationship of Online Sports Site Participation with Fan and Commentator Self-Identities Evann Clingan 43 From Policies to Punishments: The Atlantic Coast Conference and Social Networking Stephanie Oden 58 Elementary Education, There’s an App for That: Communication Technology in the Elementary School Classroom Lauren Kenney 67 Going Viral: Factors That Lead Videos to Become Internet Phenomena Tyler West 76 The Korean Wave: The Seoul of Asia Sue Jin Lee 85 Private Universities and Freedom of Expression: Free Speech on Elon University’s Campus Alexandra V. Ardinger 94 More Than the Consumer Eye Can See: Guerrilla Advertising From an Agency Standpoint Megan Wanner 103 Joining the World of Journals Welcome to the nation’s first and, to our knowledge, only undergraduate research journal in communi- cations. We discovered this fact while perusing the Web site of the Council on Undergraduate Research, which lists and links to the 60 or so undergraduate research journals nationwide (http://www.cur.org/ugjournal. html). Some of these journals focus on a discipline (e.g., Journal of Undergraduate Research in Physics), some are university-based and multidisciplinary (e.g., MIT Undergraduate Research Journal), and some are university-based and disciplinary (e.g., Furman University Electronic Journal in Undergraduate Mathematics). The Elon Journal is the first to focus on undergraduate research in journalism, media and communi- cations. The School of Communications at Elon University is the creator and publisher of the online journal. The first issue was published in Spring 2010 under the editorship of Dr. Byung Lee, associate professor in the School of Communications. The three purposes of the journal are: • To publish the best undergraduate research in Elon’s School of Communications each term, • To serve as a repository for quality work to benefit future students seeking models for how to do undergraduate research well, and • To advance the university’s priority to emphasize undergraduate student research. The Elon Journal is published twice a year, with spring and fall issues. Articles and other materials in the journal may be freely downloaded, reproduced and redistributed without permission as long as the author and source are properly cited. Student authors retain copyright own- ership of their works. Celebrating Student Research This journal reflects what we enjoy seeing in our students -- intellectual maturing. As 18 year olds, some students enter college wanting to earn a degree, but unsure if they want an education. They may question whether communication theory has anything to do with real life. Ready to start their media careers, many would rather focus on workplace skills than analyze issues and concepts. In Elon’s School of Communications, we strive for a balance among