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UNDERSTANDING CONSUMERS’ INTENTION TO ACT ON SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS’ COSMETIC SURGERY RECOMMENDATIONS
(Under the direction of Dr. Jared Hansen)
A growing concern is how social media is redefining how consumers view themselves and their choices to reshape their physical bodies. There is a stream of research that indicates that attractiveness is important to people. Some studies focus on the perceived benefits of attractiveness in their authenticity. A different stream has started to look at coolness. Other studies have focused on attractiveness and envy. This research combines all of these different reasons together, comparing how they work in tandem, with a new lens of focus: consumers’ views of the attractiveness, authenticity, and coolness of the social media influencer, and how those elements in tandem, in combination with envy, impact consumers' behavioral intention to do the things (e.g., cosmetic procedures or surgeries) recommended by the influencers. Additionally, it examines if potential envy antecedents of (a) attractiveness to improve job opportunities versus (b) attractiveness to ‘fit in' vary depending on the consumer life stage. I elaborate on implications for future research related to marketing and society, marketing managerial practice, and consumer well-being.
Keywords: Instagram; social media influencer; technology acceptance model (TAM); structural equation modeling; attractiveness; authenticity; coolness; envy; fitting in; career opportunities; cosmetic surgery
This qualitative study examines how Black women mid-level leaders navigate the superwoman schema. The findings extend Woods-Giscombé’s (2010) work by exploring the schema’s impact on Black women working in mid-level leadership administrative positions at HWIs. A descriptive phenomenological study was employed to understand and describe the lived experiences of Black women mid-level leaders and how the superwoman schema impacts work, leadership style, and personal care. The research questions addressed were: (1) How do Black women mid-level higher education administrators experience the superwoman schema at HWIs?; and (2) How do Black women mid-level higher education administrators respond to the superwoman schema at HWIs? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 Black
women who identified with the characteristics of the superwoman schema, worked at a HWI, and served in a mid-level leadership role. Data were analyzed utilizing Colaizzi’s seven-step descriptive, phenomenological data analysis process (Appendix F). Findings from one-on-one interviews indicate Black women mid-level leaders experience the exhaustion of misogynoir and use resistance responses focusing on their personal advocacy and joy. In relation to the superwoman schema, participants were aware of their emotions, exhausted from external pressures to succeed without the proper resources, and committed to the preservation of self and survival. There was consistent commitment to help others and preserve the Black community while also finding community for themselves.
This qualitative study examines how Black women mid-level leaders navigate the superwoman schema. The findings extend Woods-Giscombé’s (2010) work by exploring the schema’s impact on Black women working in mid-level leadership administrative positions at HWIs. A descriptive phenomenological study was employed to understand and describe the lived experiences of Black women mid-level leaders and how the superwoman schema impacts work, leadership style, and personal care. The research questions addressed were: (1) How do Black women mid-level higher education administrators experience the superwoman schema at HWIs?; and (2) How do Black women mid-level higher education administrators respond to the superwoman schema at HWIs? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 Black women who identified with the characteristics of the superwoman schema, worked at a HWI, and served in a mid-level leadership role. Data were analyzed utilizing Colaizzi’s seven-step descriptive, phenomenological data analysis process (Appendix F). Findings from one-on-one interviews indicate Black women mid-level leaders experience the exhaustion of misogynoir and use resistance responses focusing on their personal advocacy and joy. In relation to the superwoman schema, participants were aware of their emotions, exhausted from external pressures to succeed without the proper resources, and committed to the preservation of self and survival. There was consistent commitment to help others and preserve the Black community while also finding community for themselves.
My research examined the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and informal versus formal care use, unmet care needs (UCN), and concordance between preferred and actual care used; exploring whether the middle class faces barriers accessing care. Each study involved a cross-sectional analysis using NHATS data. Guided by Andersen and Newman’s behavioral model of health, I explored the relationship between SES and each outcome of interest, controlling for predisposing, enabling, and need factors. Descriptive analysis characterized the sample; bivariate analysis examined the relationship between SES and each outcome of interest and associations between SES and the control variables. Logistic regression with backward elimination retained control variables with a p-value less than 0.10. Results were interpreted using adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The middle-SES group had decreased odds of using informal care compared to the low-SES group, but increased odds compared to the upper-SES group. The middle-SES group had increased odds of UCN compared to the low-SES group, but no significant association when compared to the upper-SES group. The middle-SES group had decreased odds of concordance between preferred care and actual care used when compared to the low-SES group, but increased odds of concordance when compared to the upper-SES group.
U.S. school achievement has been the subject of much discussion. In the case of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM), the national underperformance across the country, as well as the underrepresentation of minorities are key issues (Anderson et al., 2023; Handelsman & Smith, 2016; National Research Council, 2015; The White House, 2017). Particularly, there is a small, but growing body of research on the low numbers of Black women in STEAM, and the Black girls' STEAM pipeline. Extracurricular STEAM programs have shown some success in increasing minority STEAM participation. As such, this dissertation seeks to investigate the following research questions: RQ1: How do online extracurricular STEAM programs created for Black girls serve as a potential counterspace to increase STEAM identity? RQ2: Are there identifiable features that exist in online extracurricular STEAM programs that are important for creating a counterspace for adolescent Black girls? Through a qualitative case study, this dissertation explored Black girls’ participation in online STEAM programs. The findings of the study reveal that the extracurricular STEAM programs helped to foster STEAM identities in young Black girls. The programs also helped students build a sense of community and created a safe space for Black girls. The study provides implications and recommendations for educators and policymakers who are interested in increasing minority STEAM participation.
Busyness, or how busy someone is, has increasingly become a topic of conversation in day-to-day life. Research has previously explored how people use their time and how people perceive their available time, or lack thereof, but there is no clear answer as to why people tell others that they are busy and what it is they are trying to accomplish by doing so. Drawing on impression management research, this paper proposes that people signal to others that they are busy so that the audience has a positive impression of them. The concept of the busyness façade is introduced, which includes behaviors and verbal statements that are intentionally enacted by individuals to signal to others that they have a lot to do or limited available time. Exactly how and why people engage in this busyness façade is explored in two studies using semi-structured interviews and an online, vignette survey. Overall, evidence is found for the existence of busyness façades and a better understanding of how people display busyness is gained, but the studies are unable to identify a clear motive for why busyness façades would be used as an impression management tactic. Additional findings and research directions are discussed.
Acceleration is one of the best-supported interventions available to gifted education practitioners internationally. However, the acceleration program in Saudi Arabia is still inchoate and could benefit from additional revision. The purpose of this research was to explore Saudi stakeholders’ perceptions regarding their lived experiences with the acceleration program implemented by the Saudi Ministry of Education beginning in 2014. To investigate, I used a qualitative research design and a phenomenological approach. Using semi-structured interviews, 18 Saudi stakeholders were interviewed within six clusters (i.e., three clusters comprising an accelerated gifted student, their parent, and their teacher, plus another three similar clusters with non-accelerated students). Following a thematic analysis method to categorize and synthesize these stakeholders’ perceptions, this approach revealed that Saudi stakeholders believed acceleration as a program was effective for Saudi gifted students. They perceived it as a convenient option, well aligned with gifted students’ characteristics, and as an appropriate recognition of these students’ superiority and dedication. The program was seen as the best available gifted program option in the Saudi context. Participants commended the acceleration intervention for positively affecting gifted students' academic performance. They believed that it provided challenging learning materials, fulfilled academic needs, and led to high grades, intelligence quotient (IQ) scores, and national standardized test scores. They also highlighted the importance of gaining advanced skills after completion. However, stakeholders also criticized the regulations and nomination procedures for the Saudi acceleration program, stating that the procedures were vague, not transparent, and unfair in geographical and other ways. All stakeholders also described a lack of awareness and preparation among teachers, parents, and students. Differences of opinion regarding the impact of this acceleration intervention on the social and emotional status of program participants also reveals contradictions. While some positive aspects included successful adaptation, balancing old and new friendships, maturity, and improved gifted characteristics, other responses mentioned potential negative impacts like anxiety and the pressure of high expectations from the students’ community. In general, Saudi stakeholders believed that the acceleration program positively impacts gifted students' future lives by enabling them to finish school earlier and more efficiently. Successful acceleration also led to scholarships, participation in national programs, and scientific trips, benefiting both society and these gifted students. Furthermore, the discussion revealed implications for practices and policies to improve the acceleration program’s regulation and implementation. Based on these findings, several future research directions are suggested.
The dissertation explores the challenges and transformations in modernizing the electrical grid, characterized by increased electric power grid interconnectivity, the widespread integration of Distributed Generation (DG), and frequent network reconfigurations. These transformations pose significant challenges to traditional grid technologies and operations, including power quality issues, protection scheme challenges, and complications in energy market dynamics. This study delves into the challenges of power system protection schemes from two perspectives: the misoperation of directional elements and the miscoordination of directional overcurrent elements. The proper operation of the protection system is critical to ensuring grid reliability.
The first perspective investigates the misoperation of directional elements; we model and analyze the fault behaviors of various generators, including Synchronous and Inverter-Based Generators (IBDGs) with differing control architecture, to comprehensively understand their fault characteristics. Furthermore, we explore the misoperation of negative sequence directional elements, proposing and validating a mitigation strategy using Real-Time Hardware-in-the-Loop (RT-HIL) setups.
The second perspective addresses the miscoordination of Directional Overcurrent Relays (DOCRs) and aims to minimize their operating times. The dissertation illustrates the advantages of employing optimization algorithms over numerical iteration methods for relay coordination. It examines the coordination performance using Genetic Algorithms (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), presenting an enhanced variation of PSO that yields improved performance validated through virtual HIL setups.
Additionally, the dissertation investigates the issue of DOCR miscoordination due to variations in fault current during fault isolation. It introduces a dynamic Time-Current Characteristic (TCC) formulation adapted to these variations, validated using IEEE test systems. It also investigates DG instability and miscoordination stemming from changes in network topology and generation short circuit capacity. A mitigation strategy that combines clustering and optimization algorithms is proposed and validated. Moreover, a co-optimization strategy is presented and validated to mitigate DOCR miscoordination while maintaining DG stability, ensuring that the Critical Clearing Time (CCT) associated with a fault is greater than the operating time of the relays assigned to isolate the fault.
This work significantly advances the understanding of how grid modernization impacts power system protection and lays the groundwork for future research in this evolving field. It highlights the need for a collaborative approach between inverter manufacturers and protection engineers to facilitate a seamless and reliable grid transformation.
The past decade has provided unprecedented insights into the molecular evolutionary pathways that have given rise to the present day diversity of vertebrates. Comparative genomic studies have repeatedly revealed that many key ecological traits, novel functional phenotypes, and even disease states are governed by genomic regions characterized by frequent mutations, duplications, or deletion events. However, the evolutionary origins and early diversification history of many of these regions remain poorly understood. My work focuses on providing a resolution to this history, focusing on the evolution of the vertebrate mobilome and a clustered gene family of innate immune receptors with putative links to the origin of the adaptive immune response. To accomplish this, I sequenced the genomes of Polypterus bichir and Lepisosteus osseus, two taxa that fill critical genomic sampling gaps for early diverging vertebrate lineages. Integrating these genomes into a comparative dataset of over 100 genomes that span all major ray-finned fish lineages, I investigated the effect of teleost genome duplication (TGD) on the diversification of the ray-finned fish mobilome. My findings reveal no substantial shift in mobilome composition following the TGD event, in line with a growing body of evidence that this historical ploidy event has not left a signature of a burst of molecular diversification and innovation across half of living vertebrates. I next expanded my taxonomic coverage to include all major vertebrate lineages to investigate the evolutionary origin of signal regulatory proteins (SIRPs) and their ligand CD47. In mammals, SIRPs are essential for regulating macrophage function and have become important targets for cancer therapy. These receptors also contain variable and joining exons and are hypothesized to have arisen in tetrapods out of a complex of innate immune receptor gene families that also gave rise to recombining T-cell receptors and antibody encoding Immunoglobulin domains. My work demonstrates this is not the case. Instead, SIRPs have evolutionary origins coincident with the origin of the adaptive immune response. In contrast, we find no evidence for an ancient origin of the CD47 ligand, which interacts with SIRPs. Instead, CD47 appears to have arisen at the beginning of amniote evolution, suggesting a decoupling of the evolutionary origins of this ligand and receptor pair. These findings provide a new perspective on the origins and diversification of innate immune receptor gene families and their relationship to the emergence of the adaptive immune system.
