“Panicked responsibility”: Confidant perspectives of disclosure and information management in university student affairs
New Series, Vol. 3, No. 3 College students experience a high volume of individual and relational well-being crises and often disclose these struggles to institutional employees who might not have formal training in counseling and mental health services, such as student affairs professionals. Professionals in these roles often develop trusting relationships with students, which…
A heartbreaking choice: The integrative dilemmas of ending a wanted pregnancy
New Series, Vol. 3, No. 2 Although access to abortion is reduced in many states across the country, 2024 saw a 12% increase in secured abortions compared to 2020 and the highest rate since 2012. Among these include parents who had to make the heartbreaking decision to end a wanted pregnancy…
Student perceptions of social justice discussions in college classrooms
New Series, Vol. 3, No. 1 Discussing social justice issues in college classrooms can be challenging for educators, especially in the current sociopolitical climate. Moreover, not all educators are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to facilitate such discussions effectively. They may also be wary about handling disagreements among students from different cultural backgrounds, especially considering that…
The plausible deniability playbook: How white victimhood narratives evade moderation
New Series, Vol. 2, No. 23 This study investigates the rhetorical strategy of white victimhood and how such rhetoric evades moderation on social media (i.e., X, formerly Twitter) to spread bigoted, white nationalist content. The authors focus on everyday social media activity and explore how individuals posting engage in “white…
Navigating immigrant identity in community resistance efforts through sensegiving and sensebreaking
New Series, Vol. 2, No. 21 Community participation is an essential component of democracy, yet gaps in participation persist due to unequal distribution of resources that disenfranchise historically marginalized groups and in turn weaken the community’s overall representativeness. This study applied sensemaking, specifically constructs of sensegiving and sensebreaking to understand…
Shitposting to the Senate: Humor, affect, and the working class in the Fetterman-Oz race
New Series, Vol. 2, No. 20 In 2022, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) decided to not run for a third term. Then-Lt. Gov. John Fetterman ran and easily won the Democratic primary against young Congressman Conor Lamb and other candidates. Among Republican primary candidates, Dr. Mehmet Oz, a famous physician…
“You do this, you lose your license:” How Florida high school journalism advisers define and experience censorship now that they can’t say gay
New Series, Vol. 2, No. 19 Student journalism in secondary schools has many documented benefits for participating students, including voice empowerment, improved academic performance, vocational training, and encouraging civic participation. However, when discouraged from pursuing topics that they are passionate about and/or benefit their communities because those topics may be…
Communication behaviors that facilitate detection of loneliness
New Series, Vol. 2, No. 18 Research has shown that loneliness is associated with numerous physical and psychological concerns, including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, hypertension, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, substance use and abuse (including alcohol abuse and alcoholism), and immunocompetence limitations. Loneliness is also associated…
Paradoxes and postbureaucracy: Volunteer decision-making at remote feminist nonprofit organizations
New Series, Vol. 2, No. 17 Much like paid work, the nature of volunteer labor has shifted dramatically due to rapid evolution of digital technology. Increased digital connectivity has afforded individuals more accessible and flexible volunteer opportunities given that individuals can provide their labor from any place at any time….
A plea for democratic resistance: Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s demosprudence through public address
New Series, Vol. 2, No. 16 Historically, US Supreme Court justices “off-bench” speech (their communications other than in judicial opinions) typically was limited in quantity, even while its content ranged from educational (justices teaching law school courses or seminars) to the personal (interviews, memoirs, etc.). Justices typically framed the Court…
Facilitating social media engagement of missing persons posts: an application of the crisis and emergency risk communication model
New Series, Vol. 2, No. 15 The Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) model describes crises as unfolding in five stages (i.e., pre-crisis, initial event, maintenance, resolution, evaluation). This two-part study examines messaging by law enforcement in cases of missing persons during the initial event stage, or onset of this…
Whistleblowing, anonymity, and the Norwegian National Lottery: How to keep a secret identity for 29 months
New Series, Vol. 2, No. 14 Article co-author Peer Jacob Svenkerud (hereafter PJS) was Communications Director for the highly respected Norsk Tipping (Norwegian National Lottery) and reported on the organization’s chief executive officer (CEO) for a shocking misuse of corporate funds. Svenkered had joined Norsk Tipping (“NT”) in 2003 and…