Eastern Student Anthony DeLuca of Pomfret Center Gives Oral Presentation at CREATE Conference

2016 May 5

More than 250 talented students at Eastern Connecticut State University presented research and creative work at the university's second annual CREATE conference this past April. CREATE stands for Celebrating Research Excellence and Artistic Talent at Eastern, and is the university's premier, academic year-end showcase. At the culminating event, students of all majors presented professional posters, live music, dance performances, artwork, photography, documentaries and panel discussions.

Anthony DeLuca '16 of Pomfret Center, who majors in Communication, gave an oral presentation at the event. His oral presentation was titled "Social Media Communications in the 2016 Presidential Race."

"Coming into 2016 there has been a distinct change in the political climate in regards to communication," said DeLuca. "The traditional forms of political communication such as speeches, email distribution and blogs seem to have fallen to the wayside in favor of a new platform: social media, and more specifically, Twitter. The purpose of this study is to explore and critically understand the arguments and persuasive social media tactics being used in the 2016 presidential race. The study aims to compile data from the Twitter accounts of the front runners from both main parties, evaluate the types of arguments and rhetoric used on social media platforms, and monitor account activity, as well as response data including retweets, replies and likes. From a theoretical standpoint, the main idea of using a social network is the uses and gratification framework, which has been utilized in recent years to understand behaviors of social network users and more specifically voters and political activists. Ultimately, the research should answer the question: in what ways does the social media environment affect the arguments of the 2016 presidential candidates?"

Remarking on the variety of presentations, Professor Dickson Cunningham, conference co-chair, said, "CREATE encapsulates the essence of the liberal arts in one afternoon. It is an intellectual smorgasbord."

Speaking to the value of CREATE, Eastern President Elsa Nunez said, "It takes a very strong and dedicated student to produce this quality of work, and it's important for other students to see this output." Praising the faculty, she added, "It takes a committed and skillful mentor to guide students to the work that is on display. Mentorship is such an integral part of undergraduate research."

During the one-day conference, the Student Center crawled with artistic and scholarly activity. Students in professional attire addressed their peers, faculty and family. In the cafe, ensembles performed; in the theatre, student-produced documentaries were shown; in the Betty R. Tipton Room, aisles of posters depicting scientific research were displayed; across the hall, a gallery-worth of paintings lined the walls; and on the ground floor, panel discussions and oral presentations about the humanities took place.