MA in Journalism and Public Relations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://dspace.griffith.ie/handle/123456789/93

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Beyond the Screen: Women’s Experiences of Sexism and Inclusion in Gaming Spaces
(Griffith College, 2025) Yushchenko, Yana; Kostick, Conor
This thesis explores how sexism is sustained, negotiated, and resisted in contemporary gaming communities, with a focus on online multiplayer environments and Reddit-based narratives. It raises four central research questions: (1) What historical and cultural factors have contributed to the perception of gaming as a male-dominated space? (2) What are the most common forms of gender-based harassment and discrimination experienced by female gamers? (3) How are gender stereotypes and toxic behaviours reinforced or challenged in communitydriven content and discussions? (4) How do female gamers respond to exclusionary behaviours, and what coping strategies or forms of resistance do they adopt. To address these questions, the study adopts a mixed-methods design. Quantitative data was gathered via an online survey (n=79 valid responses) examining demographics, gaming habits, and experiences of inclusion or harassment. Qualitative data included thematic analysis of Reddit from three subreddits: r/Gaming, r/GirlGamers, and r/GamingCircleJerk. Coding was inductive and informed by feminist theory, incorporating concepts such as affective labour, silencing, and platform affordances. The research findings show that exclusion is both cultural and infrastructural. Female gamers report frequent instances of sexism, objectification, and gatekeeping, which are exacerbated by the dynamics of the platform. Importantly, the internal group tensions illustrate that exclusion is not only external, but also internalised and negotiated within marginalised groups. This study argues that policy responses to online sexism must go beyond individual behavioural sanctions and address the structural inequalities.
Unwrapping Christmas: How Retail Brands Use Storytelling to Engage Consumers During the Holidays
(Griffith College, 2025) Tra Tran, Thu; Vecchi, Alessandra
The aim of this research is to explore emotional appeals and narrative structure in contemporary Christmas advertisements, focusing on how retailers evoke emotional resonance to engage audiences. Embracing a mixed-method approach, the study assessed fifteen advertisements (2020-2024) from renowned retail brands like John Lewis, Amazon, Apple, Coca-Cola, and Doc Morris by using quantitative coding of emotional appeals (nostalgia, joy, empathy) alongside qualitative narrative analysis guided by Fisher’s Narrative Paradigm Theory. Findings reveal empathy as the dominant emotional appeal, fundamentally delivered through visual storytelling while supported by coherent and culturally truthful narratives that foster audience connection. All in all, the study introduces a new theoretical framework for effective festive advertising campaigns but requires broader validation regarding cultural context and audience demographics to achieve thorough narrative strategies.
Selling Exoticized Wellness Orientalism and the Marketing of Yoga in the United States of America
(Griffith College, 2025) Dutta, Sampurna; Kostick, Conor
Using an analysis of the content of ads from several well-known yoga businesses, this dissertation, "Selling Exoticized Wellness: Orientalism and the Upsurge of Yoga," investigates the marketing tactics used in the international yoga industry. The study reveals how yoga is commonly purged of its Indian and Hindu cultural foundations in order to produce a marketable, Westernised product that is suited to customer preferences. It is anchored in Edward Said's concept of Orientalism. In addition to universalisation and decontextualisation, which recast yoga as a secular wellness and fitness practice with no historical meaning, the study indicates an ongoing trend of cultural appropriation, where spiritual linguistics and semiotics are employed decoratively. Furthermore, the cultural creators of yoga are further marginalised by the near-complete lack of South Asian presence and the sporadic use of stereotyped depictions. Yoga has been commercialised by being marketed as an exclusive way of life that is frequently associated with expensive goods and current pop culture fads. Although the marginalisation of South Asian voices continues, temporal alterations in marketing strategies show a transition from exoticized images to popular fitness and health narratives. The conversation focusses on how these methods mirror Orientalist power dynamics, in which Western businesses erase the cultural context of Eastern traditions while profiting from them. In order to promote more culturally sensitive depictions, it is suggested that future study look at customer views, magnify South Asian viewpoints, and compare international marketing strategies. This study supports inclusive representations of yoga that honour its historic and religious roots, as well as ethical marketing that respects the practice's Indian and Hindu background.
The Long Game Cricket’s Story in Modern Irish History
(Griffith College, 2025) Ahmed Syed, Saad; Tiernan, Conor
This dissertation by practice explores how cricket, once seen as a symbol of British colonial influence, has evolved into a sport that is gradually being reinterpreted and reintegrated into Irish cultural life. Through the production of a video documentary titled The Long Game, this project examines the historical marginalisation of cricket in Ireland, its fluctuating national perception, and its recent revival, particularly in light of immigration, institutional support, and the Irish national team’s growing success. The narrative is grounded in the lived history of Phoenix Cricket Club, Ireland’s oldest cricket institution, and links expert commentary with present-day reflections from key figures within Irish history and cricket. The research combines secondary historical scholarship with primary interviews, including contributions from historian Professor Paul Rouse, Phoenix Cricket Club former president John Mullins, and current international cricketer Ben White. The film captures the cultural tensions, shifting identities, and grassroots efforts that continue to redefine cricket’s place in Irish society. In addition to detailing the film’s development, this dissertation report critically reflects on the production process, ethical considerations, and practical limitations encountered during filming and post-production. It also discusses how the original idea transformed during research, resulting in a more focused and intimate exploration of Irish cricket through the lens of one iconic club. Ultimately, the project demonstrates how sports can serve as both a mirror of national history and a bridge for contemporary multicultural identities.
Nothing Beats a Family Holiday: Analysing the Emotional Appeal of Package Holiday Advertisements.
(Griffith College, 2025) Lambe, Roisin; Vecchi, Alessandra
I. Research Focus and Questions This study investigates how family is represented in contemporary package holiday advertising, with a particular focus on the visual and linguistic strategies which are used to evoke an emotional appeal. The research is guided by the following questions: To identify how nuclear family structures are visually represented in package holiday advertisements. Analyse the use of settings and activities in constructing a positive image of family life. To examine the emotional language and storytelling devices used to support family-oriented narratives. To determine the specific emotional responses these adverts aim to evoke in parents with young children. To apply Stuart Hall’s encoding decoding model to explain how audiences may interpret or resist these family representations. To provide practical recommendations for marketers on how to use family imagery more effectively to enhance consumer engagement and brand trust. II. Research Design and Methodology The study adopts a qualitative content analysis approach, analysing twenty specifically selected adverts from leading holiday brands, TUI, Jet2holidays, Centre Parcs and Disneyland. Both visual and linguistic elements were examined, including group composition, setting, body language, taglines and voiceovers. The analysis is framed through Stuart Hall’s encoding and decoding model, enabling a critical reading of how emotional and cultural meanings are constructed and potentially received. III. Key Findings and Insights Findings reveal that adverts largely depict nuclear, white, heteronormative families engaging in idealised leisure and holiday activities, framed within warm, aspirational settings. Emotional appeal is driven by themes of togetherness, nostalgia and escapism. However, the relationships are often limited in diversity, often excluding single-parent, extended or non-traditional families. The research also found a lack of representation of race, LGBTQ+ and families with disabilities. Audience interpretation is likely to vary, with dominant readings supporting the emotional narrative and oppositional reading identifying the lack of inclusivity. IV. Implications for Policy and Future Research The study highlights the need for more inclusive representations of family in tourism marketing. It suggests that brands could enhance consumer engagement and trust by reflecting the diverse realities of modern family life. Future research could expand cross-cultural comparisons or examine audience reception directly through interviews or surveys.
Brexit on Facebook How was Facebook used to gain votes on Brexit?
(Griffith College, 2025) Benedito Pereira Lima, Mario; Kostick, Conor
This dissertation analyses a national political campaign on social media to explore its role in 21stcentury politics. The European Union Referendum 2016 is the selected election, Facebook is the platform, and the United Kingdom is the nation. Political campaigning, social media, and public opinion are the three main topics of this dissertation, forming a triangle for investigation. To ensure impartiality and fairness, the study considers both sides of the campaign: Leave and Remain. On the Leave side, there is a Facebook page called Vote Leave, and on the Remain side, one which is called Labour Party. Since supporters often create many digital pages on social media for political campaigns, it is impossible to analyse them all. The criteria for this research involved selecting the two main official pages from each campaign, based on a scientific analysis of how both sides conducted their campaigns online. These two teams are examined through their Facebook posts during the campaign for the British Referendum. Facebook was the dominant social media platform in the UK at the time, according to the Office of Communications (OFCOM). The analysis focuses particularly on posts shared on Facebook. The research design is centred on content analysis, drawing on previous studies. The content analysis employs a hybrid model over six months, examining Facebook posts from both the Brexit and Bremain sides. The mixed model includes all posts from 1 January 2016 to 23 June 2016, the day of the Referendum. Before the main analysis, a pilot study was conducted to examine each post’s content and identify key themes such as Immigration, Economy, the NHS, the European Union, Industry, Education, and Housing. These topics were comprehensively included in the official analysis as they highlighted the principal tactics used by both groups on social media. For example, during the pilot, immigration emerged as a prominent issue, leading to its inclusion in the thematic categories to capture Brexit-related subjects. The refined model ensured that all themes relevant to the Referendum were accurately identified. The results indicated that immigration was the primary concern for British voters. The study found that the Vote Leave Facebook page was more organised and consistent than the Labour Party, which may have contributed to its victory over Remain. Furthermore, marketing, propaganda, persuasion, and semiotics are essential tools for clarifying the reasons that led Vote Leave to work better than the Labour Party in the digital world. Eventually, data collected from both Facebook pages demonstrated that Vote Leave shared 597 posts while the Labour Party shared 296 posts, which presents a larger difference between them. So, the highest level of activity was achieved by Vote Leave Facebook, which had a percentage of 67% of all posts published, whereas the Labour Party had just 33%. It was found that the winner utilised the canon theories from political campaigns in social media to change voters’ minds. Thus, it can be considered: how was Facebook used to influence votes on the Brexit Referendum 2016?
Public Relations as an Effective Tool in Restoring Consumers Trust After Product Recalls: A Case Study of Samsung Note 7 2016 Recall
(Griffith College, 2024) Asemota, Joy Etinosa; Vecchi, Alessandra
Effective public relations strategies have a tremendous role to play in the event of a product recall. Public relations strategies such as addressing of press conferences, issuing of press statements, social media engagements, recall of the affected product(s) as well as replacement, and apologies, can determine if the confidence of the consumers will be restored or not. The focus of this dissertation was an evaluation of public relations as an effective tool in restoring consumers’ trust after product recalls, using the 2016 Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall incident as a case study. In specific terms, the research objectives were to: determine the extent to which Samsung used public relations strategies in the Note 7 recall in 2016; ascertain the types of public relations strategies used by Samsung in the Note 7 recall in 2016; and to find out the extent of social media engagements which Samsung had with consumers in the Note 7 recall in 2016, amongst others. The research designs were qualitative and quantitative content analyses and in-depth interview. The instruments for collecting data from the social media were Octoparse and Twython, while a questionnaire was used as an interview guide for the in-depth interview. Both primary and secondary sources of data were used. Among the key findings of the research were that Samsung deployed several public relations strategies such as addressing of press conferences, issuing of press statements, engaging the consumers through the social media, and recalling the affected product and replacing it, amongst others. On the types of public relations strategies used by Samsung, the findings indicated that the company used media relations, crisis management, strategic communication, and consumer relations, among others. In terms of the sentimental framing of social media comments and posts during the crisis, findings showed that a majority of the consumers’ responses were negative. The researcher made the following recommendation for practice, amongst others, that: apart from using in-house public relations personnel, Samsung, just like other conglomerates should have internationally-reputable public relations firms such as Edelman, Hill & Knowlton, Ogilvy & Mather, Brunswick, BCW, and Dentsu, among others, that can dispassionately look at the issues involved and tell the organisation where it went wrong. In-house personnel are usually the staff of an organisation, perhaps, may be a bit bias in their approach. These global PR firms have the capacity to handle global brands like Samsung.
Finding a home away from home
(Griffith College, 2024) Kure, Blessing; Proctor, Pat; Lalor, Francesca
"Finding a Home Away from Home" is a radio documentary that delves into the experiences of international students in Ireland. This first part of a seven-part documentary series is an audio portrait of one student. Through the students’ personal narratives, the documentary examines the culture shock experienced and its challenges, focusing on initial struggles, its psychosocial impacts, the students’ coping mechanisms and eventual integration into Irish society. This 36 minute long documentary aims to offer insight into the peculiar challenges, experiences, and triumphs of educational migration and was structured based on the five stages of culture shock as identified by Peter Adler. This work is valuable for future research on international student experiences and migration studies.
A Case Study of Nigeria on the Impact of Media Framing in Newspapers on the Electoral Success of Female Political Candidates.
(Griffith College, 2024) Showemimo, Agnes Oluwatomi; O'Brien, Paddy
This dissertation investigates how media framing in Nigerian newspapers affects female political candidates' chances of winning elections. This research uses the media framing theory as a theoretical framework to investigate how different frames affect public opinion and the outcomes of elections for women in politics. This research is conducted in Nigeria, a nation with a complex sociopolitical environment and deeply embedded gender norms. The primary methodology of the study is content analysis, which involves methodically going through newspaper stories to find standard frames that are utilised when covering female political candidates. A popular method in media studies, content analysis, enables the quantitative evaluation of media material and exposes biases, patterns, and trends in the way female candidates are portrayed (Krippendorff, 2018). According to Robert Entman's (1993) expansion of Erving Goffman's (1983) framing theory, audience interpretation and comprehension are significantly impacted by the way media content is organised. In this situation, frames might draw attention to the qualities of female candidates while minimising others, which can affect how the public views them. The study focuses on a number of framing techniques, such as exemplars, catchphrases, metaphors, and portrayals, in order to identify the prevailing narratives in Nigerian publications. The analysis is based on theoretical understandings from intersectional feminism and colonial/post-colonial studies. In order to comprehend the ongoing influence of colonial legacies on current gender dynamics in Nigeria, it is helpful to read Frantz Fanon's Black Skin, White Masks (1952). Because of the influence of colonial history on media representations and societal standards, women are frequently marginalised in public spaces. The Invention of Women: Making an African Sense of Western Gender Discourses, written by Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyēwùmí in 1997, not only critiques the imposition of Western gender categories on African cultures but also offers a crucial perspective on how these consequences are still reflected in media portrayals. Furthermore, the media framing of female candidates is examined in light of overlapping identities, including gender, ethnicity, and class, via the lens of Kimberlé Crenshaw's theory of intersectionality, as presented in On Intersectionality: Essential Writings (2017). Understanding the multifaceted biases that female candidates experience in the media requires an intersectional perspective (Crenshaw, 2017). This approach is informed by Emma Ming Wahl's examination of Black women in Fanon's Black Skin, White Masks (2021), which emphasises the unique difficulties associated with racialised gender stereotypes. The results of this dissertation show that gender biases are frequently reinforced by media framing in Nigerian newspapers, which has a detrimental effect on female political candidates' chances of winning elections. Many frames highlight traditional gender roles or cast doubt on women's abilities and suitability for leadership roles. These frames hurt female candidates' chances of winning elections by contributing to a negative public opinion of them. By offering insights on how media practices may be changed to support female equality in political representation, this study adds to the larger conversation on gender and media in Africa. The study promotes policy measures and media changes that aid in the electoral success of female political candidates in Nigeria by emphasising the need for more equal and balanced media depictions.
Polarization of Indian media in communicating public policies – content analysis of headlines.”
(Griffith College, 2023) Konwar, Dipyasuruj; Andrews, Rachel
This dissertation investigates the contemporary media landscape of India. It examines and contrasts the headlines from the three most prominent English language dailies of India - Times of India, Hindustan Times, and The Hindu—focusing on the headlines of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of 2019. The study, which uses a mixed-method approach, looks at differences in reporting’s tone, wording, and emphasis to spot any potential biases in favour of or against the government’s policy. The study investigates how such contentious reporting may affect how the CAA is perceived and understood by the general public, as well as its broader effects on democracy and public discourse. This study offers helpful insights for media practitioners, politicians, and researchers negotiating the complexities of media-government interactions in India’s diverse and dynamic democracy by challenging the alignment of polarized reporting with responsible journalism and media ethics.
Female Journalists, A Comparative Study of Gender Discrimination in Workplace in Turkey and Ireland.
(Griffith College, 2023) Demir, Elif Ipek; Kostic, Conor
Female Journalists, A Comparative Study of Gender Discrimination in Workplace in Turkey and Ireland. The purpose of this dissertation is to analyse the gender discrimination that women journalists are facing in the workplace. Comparing two countries, Ireland and Turkey, the experiences of three women journalists in Turkey and three from Ireland are included. All of the journalists are selected from different news companies. The gender discrimination aspects are payment and employment gap, unseen glass ceiling difficulties and mental and physical sexism experiences. Moreover, the steps that authorities and government are taking in order to improve workplace conditions and regulations are studied. To create a better understanding of how workplace gender discrimination is taking place in two different countries, I did a literature review first and then, created my questions to ask my interviewees. After getting the results, I combined my interview answers with the result and finally, I discussed the two countries' results.
Political Representation and Gender Bias in News Media: The Portrayal of Liz Truss and Nicola Sturgeon
(Griffith College, 2024) Del Sette, Stefania; O'Caloain, Brendan
Gender equality and the importance of the presence of women in politics are among the most relevant topics discussed in contemporary society. The representation given by the media of women in politics is essential to ensure a society which is not biased by gender stereotypes when it comes to ensuring gender equality and access to appropriate policies for women. Literature shows how the portrayal of women in politics is often biased by gender scripts and stereotypes, undermining their credibility and female political engagement. This project analyses the media portrayal of Liz Truss and Nicola Sturgeon, two influential women politicians, by the hand of the British and Scottish news media, specifically in five relevant newspapers. The print coverage will be observed for a length of time corresponding to one week before and four days following their resignation, respectively In 2022 and 2023. A Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis will be conducted to identify gender biases and stereotypes in their political representation. Three British newspapers and two Scottish ones have been selected in view of the different prevenience of the politicians. The analysis showed a general presence of gender bias in the description of Liz Truss and Nicola Sturgeon, with a prevalence regarding the last one, along with their political critiques. Each newspaper presents peculiarities based on its political alignment and media agenda. The references to their personal life and appearance are predominant elements among the spectrum of gender stereotypes. The articles examined mostly indicate the presence of a patriarchal narrative in the depiction of Liz Truss and Nicola Sturgeon, involving eh reiteration of gender stereotypes.
A radio documentary on “body image representation of women in the media
(Griffith College, 2023) Chijuka-Etiaka, Yvonne Anwulikamma; Lalor, Francesca; Andrews, Rachel
Social media and traditional media can negatively and positively impact the body image of women. The unrealistic standard of beauty affects women's lives as they are plagued with dissatisfaction with their bodies, and in the same vein, it also encourages fit and healthy living amongst women. Every day, women of all ages, shapes, sizes and colors are often faced with all sorts of challenges including comments and remarks about their bodies. In addition, many women find it difficult to source for what is deemed as appropriate clothing for their body types particularly because This radio documentary explores the world of social media and the role it has played in contributing positively and negatively to the way women are portrayed in the media space. This documentary is set to take the listener on a journey as they will hear from a variety of professionals ranging from, a Clinical Psychotherapist/TEDx Public Speaker, Five Professional Models from Vogue on YouTube, Two Aesthetics surgeons from ‘Fault Lines’ YouTube audio clips, a Feminist, and a male Social Media User. As stated above, this supporting documentation will review several kinds of relevant research conducted previously by top scholars about this subject. It will also explain the technical and creative journey that led to the final publication of the documentary “Body Image representation of women in the media”. It will also critically analyze and examine in detail the ways the media, particularly social media, can influence the portrayal of women and their bodies in society.
Effective Use of Social Media in Public Relations in Nigerian Businesses: A Case Study of The Nigerian Banking Sector
(Griffith College, 2020) Ufuoma, Precious Ughakp
Social media has fast become a digital transformative tool for businesses. The introduction of social media into the business space through the internet is a notable innovation that has received wide recognition as a platform that changed how people and business interact with each other. Though its importance cannot be overemphasized, public relations (PR) practitioners must continue to evolve and stay up-to-date and meet up with the constantly changing trends as well as the audience demands. This research set out to determine the effective use of social media in the Nigerian banking industry by examining how Nigerian banks and PR professionals/agencies use their social media profiles, user engagements on these social media profiles, how the effectiveness of social media PR campaigns are measured and the roles social media has played in the PR of Nigerian banks. The research questions addressed in this study are What role does social media play in public relations in the banking sector? ;How can the effective use of social media improve the achievement of a positive and sustainable relationship between banks and its public? and What are the factors that determine social media platforms employed by public relations practitioners in banks?The study utilized a mixed methods approach combining both qualitative and quantitative research methods, to collect this data, a social media audit report on the Facebook, Instagram and twitter accounts on top 5 performing Nigeria banks was carried out followed by questionnaire distribution to 70 PR professionals in the Nigerian banking industry and Interviewing 4 prominent PR practitioners in the banking Industry.The results of this study indicated that social media is effectively used to publicize, inform and educates the public on the services and products being offered by the banks, facilitates corporate communication through two-way communication that is instrumental in countering wrong publicity and threat to goodwill, attending to public complaints and promotion of events that helps in creating and building important relationships with customers. The study also revealed that the factors that influence the use of certain social media mediums like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook over others are customer feedback, complaints, engagement, and inquiry on the platforms. Further research is needed into different industries to carry out comparative analysis and establish a trend with the way different industries use social media for PR as well as expanding this research into different forms of banking such as commercial banking, investment banking, retail banking, credit unions etc. as they all have different target audiences and it expected that PR strategies used would vary for these different forms of banking.
Partisanship in the Brexit News Media – A Content Analysis of Newspapers of Record in Britain, Ireland and Northern Ireland.
(Griffith College, 2020) Reid, Patrick
The representation of Brexit in the news media has been a point of debate since the referendum announcement by then UK Prime Minister David Cameron in February 2016. Formal studies by academics, academic institutions and news organisations, in addition to anecdotal reports, have scrutinised coverage and dissected news and opinion across the UK and beyond. This study explores Brexit-orientated articles from The Irish Times, The Times(UK edition) and The Belfast Telegraph in the week leading up to the Brexit referendum, providing a comprehensive insight into Brexit coverage in three newspapers of record in key jurisdictions across the UK and Ireland. This study organises predominantly quantitative data to collate and categorise a large body of articles from across the five days prior to the referendum and to a lesser extent, adopts a lighter qualitative approach to examine the data more closely. The study attempts to ascertain whether the newspapers’ overarching preference tilts toward Remain or Leave and whether examining articles in three different segments –political, financial and human-interest –reveal partisanship. It also examines the prevalence of key quoted individuals and the quantity and coverage afforded to each side. The study finds that empirically, all three newspapers appear to favour a Remain result to varying degrees, but that coverage of each side, individuals and their respective campaign messages is mixed, with a slight tilt toward Leave.
Effective Public Relations Practice for SMEs In Developing Countries: A Case Study of Nigeria.
(Griffith College, 2020) Ibrahim, Hadiza
SMEs are essential to the growth and development of nations. Compared to large enterprise, SMEs have unique public relations need. Though public relations tools remain the same globally, the practice vary from geographical location and culture. This study investigates if SMEs in Nigeria can raise their profile using public relations. The research questions addressed in this study are: a) Can Public Relations be used to raise the profile of SMEs in developing countries? b) Can SMEs adopt Public Relations Practices of Large Enterprises? A mixed methods approach was applied in the study. To collect the data a self-administered questionnaire was used. This questionnaire was filled by SME owners/managers followed by interviews with journalist and public relations experts in Nigeria. The results from this research indicates that SMEs in developing counties as Nigeria can use public relations to raise their profile however there is need to educate SME owners on the function and importance of public relations. Furthermore, the unethical practice of paying for media coverage need to be investigated.
A study to examine the role of social media within public relations.
(Griffith College, 2019) O'Neill, Elaine
Social media quickly became popular since its introduction over a decade ago. It was quickly adapted into society and has changed how we act and interact with others. Not only has it changed how we interact as individuals it has changed how businesses and consumers interact with each other. It has provided a new tool for public relations practitioners to communicate directly with their audiences. However, as social media is a relatively new tool for businesses it is important to examine how and why it is used within companies. This study set out to examine what the role of social media is within public relations by examining how companies used their social media accounts, what content they posted and examining the opinions and uses of social media among public relations professionals. The research questions addressed in this study are: 1. What is the role of social media within public relations? 2. Is the pattern of social media use consistent across these different businesses and participants? 3. Is third party media coverage and ‘word of mouth’ communication still important to companies and consumers? The study followed a mixed methods approach combining both qualitative and quantitative research. To collect this data an online analysis (content and engagement) of three companies social media accounts was conducted followed by two interviews with public relations and communications professionals and a further survey among seven other public relations and communications professionals. The results of this research indicated that social media is used within public relations for relationship building, two-way communication, reputation management, content control and word of mouth communication.
The role of the Irish Times opinion pages in the formulation of public opinion and shaping the political agenda in Ireland: A case study of the 2018 8th Amendment Referendum in Ireland.
(Griffith College, 2019) Malone, Abigail
The research question proposed is an analysis on ‘The role of the Irish Times opinion pages in the formulation of public opinion and shaping the political agenda in Ireland: A case study of the 2018 8th Amendment Referendum in Ireland.’ The opinion pages of print media have the ability to change minds and influence the political agenda. In an era where fake news and biased reporting is prevalent, the need for diverse viewpoints to be represented in a balanced manner in the opinion columns of national newspapers across the world is more urgent than ever. Representation within the powerful opinion columns is needed to encourage healthy discourse and democratic conversations and prevent individuals and politicians from being immersed in an echo chamber of their own opinion. It is widely recognised that newspapers, editors and journalists have a professional obligation to maintain a balance and impartiality in their publication. This thesis demonstrates the ability that the opinion pages have to change the mind of the reader and be a powerful actor in setting the political agenda by influencing the elite members in society. The nature of opinion pages in the Irish Times, in relation to the 2018 8th Amendment referendum in Ireland, is analysed. The 8th Amendment recognised the equal right to life of the unborn child and mother and, with exception to limited circumstances, prevented abortion services being available in Ireland. The referendum in May 2018 sought to remove this amendment and legislate for abortion in Ireland. A mixed method research approach was utilised in this study which included qualitative and quantitative analyses on the persuasion of the selected opinion pages. The findings showed that the Irish Times opinion pages published in relation to abortion and the 8th Amendment in Ireland during the month of May 2018, before the referendum took place, were dominated by the pro-repeal, ‘Yes’, side of the abortion debate. Out of the forty-nine Irish Times opinion pages studied, twenty-eight of the opinion pages proposed a repeal of the 8th Amendment in Ireland while twelve opinion pages argued in favour of keeping the 8th Amendment. In addition to this, six opinion pieces were neutral on the topic while three opinion pieces were excluded from the content analysis data set as they were irrelevant to the debate. This research illustrates the need for a more varied discourse within national media outlets in Ireland regarding topical social and political issues. The research exemplified the need to challenge the biases prevalent in the opinion pages of national and widely read newspapers in Ireland and demand more representation of differing viewpoints within the national media.
The Influence of Instagram on the Irish Fashion Industry.
(Griffith College, 2019) Doherty, Hayle
Fashion and social media play a major role in society. Fashion houses and designers have existed since the 19th century, with trends, patterns and models changing every day. The first social media platform was created in 1997, followed by the first blog in 1999. Since the beginning of 2000, the digital age began to expand. Platforms such as MySpace, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram are becoming an everyday norm in society. In the present day, both social media and the fashion industry are worldwide recognised platforms. Fashion and social media have now become intertwined, with social media shaping a huge impact on the fashion industry in terms of sales, marketing, P.R, blogging and retail. Throughout this study, the researcher will investigate the influence social media has on the fashion industry. As both are recognised platforms, the study will focus on the social media platform of Instagram created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Kreiger in 2010 and the Irish fashion industry in the present day. In order to identify the influence Instagram has on the fashion industry, the three themes of retail, blogging and P.R which shape the industry will be explored using the methods; interviews, a questionnaire and a content analysis of two Irish fashion magazines. Since the industry in Ireland is expanding every year with fashion bloggers, stylists, P.R’s and influencers, it was found throughout the study that social media plays a huge role in terms of sales growth, recognition, fame and wealth. Within this dissertation, the findings of the research on how Instagram is influencing the Irish fashion industry will be articulated.
Power of the post: Instagram is the chosen social media platform for PR content of cosmetic companies.
(Griffith College, 2019) Burke, Diane
Social media has changed the PR landscape from exclusively focusing on traditional media to developing a two-way ongoing conversation between a company and their consumers. As we live a lot of our lives online, many brands have capitalised on this communication revolution we are currently experiencing. Through both visual and textual PR content posted on social media platforms, companies create brand awareness and communicate directly with their consumers. This study investigates why Instagram has been the most successful social media platform for PR content in the context of cosmetic companies from a consumer’s perspective with a self administered online questionnaire. A second source of research is in the form of interviews with two PR executives who are currently working in consumer PR agencies to gather relevant information from industry experts. The final source of research is a content analysis of Instagram posts from three Irish cosmetic companies. It was found that the features on Instagram are the reason why it has emerged as the most suitable social media application for PR purposes. Throughout the research, the impact that visual content posted from Irish cosmetic companies has on perceptions of female beauty is considered.

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