Graduation Year

2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.A.

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Degree Granting Department

Mass Communications

Major Professor

Gregory Perreault, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Fan Yang, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Artemio Ramirez, Jr., Ph.D.

Keywords

Instagram, eye-tracking, interviews, video advertising, user-generated content

Abstract

Native advertising has grown in advertiser usage and relevance within the advertising space. Branded or sponsored content is in no way a new concept; however, with less consumer participation with traditional advertisements, the industry has shifted to make advertising content look “native” - as if they belong within the format of the platform and among the user-generated content published. Social media presents a continuously progressing digital landscape that is available and accessible for consumers. The environment’s accessibility allows for it to be reachable by consumers from a range of backgrounds. This study engages a two-step explanatory mixed methodology aimed at explaining native advertising within its context and exploring media consumers’ perceptions of the “native” contents to which they are exposed, as well as their perceived level of media literacy - because of the nature of the content - in their own terms. The first step included 19 semi-structured interviews with undergraduate college students (between 18-24 years old) who identify as consumers of social media; in the second step, experiment, using eye-tracking biometrics was conducted to explain the influence of exposure on consumers, and a post-experiment interview was engaged to contextualize those influences. Themes illuminated highlighted interviewee’s views on trust and transparency, trust in the source, avoidance and annoyance upon recognition, digital labor, in addition to literacy before and after exposure to sponsored and non sponsored content. These themes informed predictions and prompts for a simulated Instagram feed using eye-tracking technology to analyze the influence of exposure on attitudes afterwards during a post-experiment assessment. Results displayed the need for persuasion knowledge model to be updated, as it was found that platform-specific media literacy are not transferable and that media consumers are not thinking about advertising when thinking about media literacy efficacy.

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