Date of Award

2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. David Givens

Second Advisor

Dr. Kipp Preble

Abstract

Though each African American person holds unique experiences, beliefs and preferences that are molded by his or her background, education, gender, sexual orientation and religion, he or she is often defined by superficial characteristics, such as how a person behaves, speaks and dresses, that determine his or her degree of authentic blackness. This thesis explores authentic blackness within the African American community and how television commercials help define what is considered authentically black. Based on the Social Cognitive Theory, Hall’s Theory of Encoding and Decoding, the Cultivation Theory and the Social Construction of Reality Theory, this thesis explores how African Americans are used in television commercials and African Americans perceive authentic blackness. The first part of the study , content analysis of television commercials during primetime slots, found that stereotypical portrayals of African Americans still exists and that blackness is often used to validate the coolness of a brand or product. The second part of the study, a survey about what is considered authentically black and interviews with eleven African Americans, revealed that most respondents believe that acting black is comprised of superficial characteristics that change over time.

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