Measuring Population Reach of Singapore's Libraries: The Use of a Reach Index

A Reach Index was developed in 2015 to find out the proportion of the Singapore population that the National Library Board (NLB) serves. This Reach Index is intended to ascertain NLB's unique reach among Singapore's resident population over a 12-month period. The composite index comprises five indicators: unique physical visitors to its libraries, active members, participants of its programs and/or exhibitions, users of its digital platforms, and volunteers who assist in library operations and the running of programs. At the end of the exercise, the Reach Index was able to help NLB identify the segments of the population that are well-reached as well as under-reached on an annual basis.     

Intergenerational Transmission of Traditional and Contemporary Gender Ideologies via Father-Son Memorable Messages

The purpose of this study was to investigate the memorable messages (N = 198) fathers transmit to sons about “being a man.” Five dominant themes emerged from fathers’ messages: work ethic, morality, strength, family provider, and other. Overall, our results suggest that fathers’ messages promote both traditional and contemporary gender ideologies. The prevalence of the work ethic and morality themes demonstrate fathers’ role in teaching sons about integrity, commitment, and fair treatment of others. Based on our findings, we suggest future researchers explore mothers’ gendered messages, fathers’ generativity, and father-son relational quality.     

Can Detroiters Dream Again? The Imagined Dialectics of Urban Decline in Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown—Detroit

Examining the Detroit episode of Anthony Bourdain’s CNN show, Parts Unknown, this study illuminates how the collective memory of the American dream is ironically projected onto Detroit, the metonymic city of America past. In order to identify the nostalgia of the American dream narrated in the show, we apply the dialectical approach to intercultural communication suggested by Martin and Nakayama and propose the imagined dialectics. Throughout our analyses, we contend that the imagined dialectic narrated in the Parts Unknown episode nostalgically frames Detroit’s past, which inevitably fetishizes its present. We ultimately argue that the nostalgia of the American dream epitomizes the lack of an intercultural and interregional understanding within the US and prevents us from democratic discussion for the betterment of the urban lives.     

Does Facebook Use Predict College Students’ Social Capital? A Replication of Ellison,Steinfield, and Lampe’s (2007) Study Using the Original and More Recent Measures of Facebook Use and Social Capital

In 2007 Ellison, Steinfield, and Lampe published an article on the positive association between Facebook use and social capital that started a decade of research on the social outcomes of social network site use. Although cited almost 9,000 times, it received critique on the conceptualization and operationalization of Facebook use and social capital. In this study we replicate Ellison et al.’s study with original and alternative measures of social capital and Facebook use, thereby shedding light on the robustness, stability, and ecological validity of the original findings. We found that Facebook intensity positively predicts the original social capital measures, lending support to the validity of the original findings. Its relationship with structural measures, however, was weak for bridging and absent for bonding social capital.     

Commercialization of Technology News

While technology news has become a major news genre, the coverage of high-tech products has raised concerns regarding the commercialization of journalism. Drawing on salience transfer and exemplification theory, this study explores how The New York Times and USA Today covered Apple products along quantity and quality dimensions. A content analysis documented a landslide in the amount of coverage on Apple products in both newspapers. Both iPhones and iPads were disproportionately over-covered in relation to their market share. Over one-third of the headlines about the iPhone covered the product favorably. The New York Times published more stories about these gadgets than USA Today did, while USA Today was twice as likely to portray iPhones in a positive light. These findings have raised questions about the commercialization of technology news and its impact on journalism.     

Geschlechterrollenorientierungen und ihre Beziehungen zu Maßen der Ich-Stärke bei Jugendlichen aus Ost-und Westberlin

Zusammenfassung In einer Stichprobe von 2630 Jugendlichen achter Klassen aus Gymnasien, Real-, Gesamt-und Hauptschulen in Ost-und Westberlin wurde im Jahr 2001 die Akzeptanz von Geschlechterrollenorientierungen (traditionell vs. partnerschaftlich) erfasst und ihr Zusammenhang mit Ma?en der Ich-St?rke (positives Bild von sich selbst, psychische Stabilit?t, produktiver Umgang mit Erfolg und Misserfolg) untersucht. Dem partnerschaftlichen Konzept wurde in h?herem Ma?e zugestimmt als dem traditionellen. Dabei ergaben sich Geschlechts-, Ost/West-sowie Schulartunterschiede in der partnerschaftlichen sowie traditionellen Orientierung. Weibliche Jugendliche waren weniger traditionell eingestellt als m?nnliche. Ostberliner Schüler/innen waren weniger traditionell orientiert als Westberliner und Gymnasiast/inn/en hatten eine niedrigere traditionelle Orientierung als Gesamt-, Real-und Hauptschüler/innen. Je h?her der Bildungsstand (gemessen an der Schulform und dem Bildungsniveau der Mutter), desto h?her war die Akzeptanz der Gleichberechtigung der Geschlechter. Die Jugendlichen wurden nach dem Grad ihrer traditionellen Orientierung in drei Cluster eingeteilt und hinsichtlich der Auspr?gung von Ma?en der Ich-St?rke miteinander verglichen. Dabei zeigte sich, dass Jugendliche mit hoher traditioneller Orientierung ein niedrigeres Selbstwertgefühl, sowie eine h?here Leistungsangst, mehr Furcht vor Misserfolg und in h?herem Ma?e selbstwertmindernde Attributionen ?u?erten als Jugendliche mittlerer und niedriger traditioneller Orientierung. Jugendliche, die in h?herem Ausma? über die pers?nliche Ressource der Ich-St?rke verfügen, traten h?ufiger für die Gleichberechtigung der Geschlechter ein. Summary Sex-role-orientation and its Relationship to Egostrength in Adolescents from East and West Berlin A sample of 2630 adolescents from grade 8 attending different types of secondary school in East and West Berlin was assessed in 2001. The aim was twofold: to ascertain their acceptance of gender-role orientation (i.e. traditional norms vs. equality in gender relations) and to link it to degrees of ego-strength (high self-concept, psychological stability, ability to deal with success or failure in a constructive manner). The concept of equality in gender relations was found to be more prevalent among females, pupils in East Berlin and those pupils attending grammar schools. The higher the education level of the pupils (measured according to the school attended and the education level of their mothers), the greater the acceptance of gender equality. The adolescents were classified in three clusters according to the degree of traditional orientation and then compared. Results showed that adolescents with a high traditional orientation displayed lower self-concept, a higher level of test anxiety, greater fear of failure and higher attribution of failure to lack of ability than those adolescents with moderate and low traditional orientation. Those displaying a greater range of characteristics related to ego-strength supported gender equality more frequently.