Research
Are there really more fish in the digital sea?: An analysis of Black heterosexual men’s experiences on dating apps
Question
What are some of the common experiences of heterosexual Black men when using dating apps?
Method
I conducted semi-structured interviews with four heterosexual Black men in Washington D.C. to understand more about their individual experiences on dating apps and performed a qualitative analysis of their responses.
Findings
Race and height were the dominating factors in their experiences on dating apps. All the participants accepted that interacting on dating apps is a fluid journey with no strict rules of conduct, so their goals could change depending on the dating app and their match’s motivations.
Oxiwear and possible use in the elderly population
Question
Would the global elderly population be interested in using Oxiwear, a wearable, SO2-measuring device to track their health and notify emergency contacts if any abnormalities arise?
Method
My team and I conducted semi-structured interviews with elderly people, caregivers, and medical professionals in the U.S., China, and India to understand the needs and wants of the global elderly population.
Findings
There was limited interest in using Oxiwear for the elderly population. Patients expressed unwillingness to wear devices on their ear 24/7. The price of the device was also prohibitory because health insurance in countries outside the U.S. was unlikely to cover this device when cheaper options are available. We submitted our findings to our client, Oxiwear, for their internal use.
How was the Texas SB8 abortion bill reported in the news?
A Content Analysis of Headlines Across News Organizations
Questions
(1) How do news headlines portray Texas SB8, in terms of health, politics, access, religion, race, or other topics?
(2) Do the ways in which news headlines portray Texas SB8 correlate with their media biases?
Method
My team and I conducted a quantitative analysis of online news headlines that mentioned Texas SB8 from a variety of news organizations with a range of media bias as reported by AllSides. Using headlines from September 1, 2021 (the date on which the bill went into effect), to October 11, 2021, we coded 500 news headlines by headline category and headline tone. Using SPSS, we tested our hypotheses about media bias and headline tone; news category and media bias; and headline tone and headline category.
Findings
Despite an overall tendency towards negative coverage of the law, right-leaning media outlets showed a strong tendency of being positive towards the approval of the Texas abortion law when compared to left and center media outlets. The tendency of the news media, despite its partisan lean, was to write headlines focused on the political aspects of the new law, rather than on the health, racial, religious or accessibility aspects.
Currently under review for journal publication.