Project Description
The project will examine how rural American high school students interpret the use of social media, primarily TikTok, by legacy news organizations. Because of economic pressures to increase subscribers and advertisers, TikTok has become a means for news organizations to try to reach young people where they are by adapting news to short audiovisual clips. The project seeks to better understand how rural high school seniors or community college students perceive such overtures as they navigate a torrent of information, misinformation and disinformation and they try to make sense of the world.
Prerequisites
The students should’ve taken a research methods course in journalism or CBSC or other discipline. Or, they could be in such a course this term.
Special Comments
I plan to conduct most if not all focus groups during the Winter or Spring term if necessary. I would offer to create an independent study for students to receive credit for their work on the focus groups before they will begin to do data analysis over the summer–and collaborate with me on writing articles about our research project’s findings.
Project Information (subject to change)
Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026
Estimated End Date: 8/14/2026
Estimated Project Duration: 10 weeks
Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2
Research Location: Hybrid
Travel Required? Yes (If “yes”: Counties that are close to Rockbridge. My hope is to conduct up to six focus groups at high schools or community colleges within 50 or so miles of Lexington during winter or spring term, and if necessary, early in the summer.)
Contact Information: Toni Locy (email: locyt@wlu.edu)