Date of Award

12-2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Nobuya Inagaki

Second Advisor

Dr. Alexa Dare

Abstract

Americans have seemingly gone mobile. With a mobile communication device - cell phone, smartphone, iPad or other tablet devices - people can send and receive information anytime and anywhere. Meanwhile, government organizations primarily at the federal government level have been encouraged to participate in and engage with the public through the internet. This project uses a media ecology frame to look at whether the increasing mobility of communication made possible through the acceptance and proliferation of wireless technology devices such as smartphones, tablet and laptop computers and e-readers is affecting the relationship between state department of transportation agencies and the public. The project used data collected from two focus groups and 15 interviews to identify key themes and observations. The research participants clearly described a transferability of the public-government engagement across spaces, raising for many communicators the challenges in managing time, resources and public expectations. However, most interestingly, their experience is less connected to the technology than it is to the social media tools enabled by the technology. The findings suggest that future research consider whether the growing public presence in mobile technology spaces offers opportunity for a richer relationship with government.

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