Kane Hopkins - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Kane Hopkins

Research paper thumbnail of Readable, audible, navigable: accessible communication for the non-profit health sector

Communication Research and Practice, 2015

For non-profit organizations (NPOs) working in the health arena, digital media – with its broad r... more For non-profit organizations (NPOs) working in the health arena, digital media – with its broad reach, relative cost-effectiveness, and vaunted inclusivity – might seem to offer an optimal ensemble of channels with which to offer accessible communications to groups affected by disability. However, NPOs may struggle to comprehend and meet the accessibility needs of their stakeholder groups. This article reports on the digital communication practices of seven New Zealand NPOs dedicated to serving the health and disability sector. Communication representatives of the organizations were interviewed; e-newsletters were assessed against the 2008 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0), and recipients of the organizations’ e-newsletters were surveyed for their perceptions and suggestions. Greater awareness of the need for accessibility standards across all digital communication platforms, systematic application of WCAG 2.0, and consideration of the perspectives of individuals with disabilities will assist NPOs in improving their communication efforts.

Research paper thumbnail of How New Zealand organisations are using Facebook: A Public Relations Perspective

Research paper thumbnail of Blogs, political discussion and the 2005 New Zealand general election: a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD in Communication at Massey University

Communication technologies have altered the way people engage in political discourse. In recent y... more Communication technologies have altered the way people engage in political discourse. In recent years the internet has played a significant role in changing the way people receive political information, news and opinion. Perhaps the most significant difference as a result of advancements in communication and internet technology is how people participate in discussions and deliberate issues that are important to them. The 2005 New Zealand General Election fell at a time when functionality and access to fast and affordable internet ...

Research paper thumbnail of Transported: New Zealand non-profit organizations, digital platforms and the limitations of metaphor

New Media & Society, 2018

Digital communication has become ubiquitous to the non-profit sector, globally, and non-profit or... more Digital communication has become ubiquitous to the non-profit sector, globally, and non-profit organizations (NPOs) have adopted multiple digital media channels and platforms in attempts to connect with and influence external stakeholders. This article examines how non-profits in New Zealand (NZ) are using metaphoric language around their deployment of digital media channels. Since its inception, digital information technology has been explained in terms of transport metaphors such as information superhighway and digital traffic. These metaphors have become largely invisible. A combination of empirical and interpretative analyses was deployed to examine the metaphorical framework at work in NPO discussions of their digital media engagements. The analysis uncovered rhetoric that valued movement over destination, de-emphasized the stakeholder perspective and narrowly restricted the power to contribute to organizational meaning.

Research paper thumbnail of Blogging the New Zealand Election: The Impact of New Media Practices on the Old Game

Research paper thumbnail of Family communication

This study examines how mass-communicated messages from two pro-environmental public information ... more This study examines how mass-communicated messages from two pro-environmental public information communication campaigns, the Big Clean Up

Research paper thumbnail of Newsletters Have a Role to Play?

Non-profit organisations and relationship cultivation: Do electronic

Research paper thumbnail of The phatic nature of the online social sphere: Implications for public relations

This article considers the importance of phatic exchanges—a communication exchange that fulfils a... more This article considers the importance of phatic exchanges—a communication exchange that fulfils a social objective rather than imparting information—on social technologies, such as Facebook and Twitter. Social media and social networks have transformed the communication environment and the way organisations manage their stakeholder relationships. As new social technologies emerge so does the diversity of corresponding communication behaviours, and culture dimensions that underpin the connectivity and requirements for relationship building. Communication characteristics demonstrated by social media users challenge existing notions of relationship management and two-way communication flow. This paper concludes that in order for communication professionals to communicate effectively, they first need to understand the composition and expectations of relationships in the online social sphere.

Research paper thumbnail of The effect of public communication campaigns on family communication and behaviour : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Business Studies in Communication Management at Massey University

Research paper thumbnail of Affordances of e-Newsletters for NPO General-Public Stakeholders

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations

The study investigates the affordances of email newsletters as perceived by the general public su... more The study investigates the affordances of email newsletters as perceived by the general public subscribers of non-profit organizations’ e-newsletters, through analyzing over 17,000 survey responses. An affordance lens acknowledges the possibility of multiple courses of action and forms of engagement in relation to the technology. Findings reveal that email newsletters may be more useful in terms of relationship cultivation than has been generally recognized, but also that perceptions of email affordances varied considerably between segments of the non-profit sector. While finding no strong links between e-newsletter receipt and volunteering or donation activity, the usefulness of email newsletters in terms of building connection between organization and recipient was confirmed at a moderate level. While illuminating the range of affordances offered by email, which has been largely overlooked in the literature, this study also suggests a number of implications for organizations in the non-profit sector.

Research paper thumbnail of Family communication: A catalyst for socially desired behaviours

This study examines how masscommunicated messages from two proenvironmental public information co... more This study examines how masscommunicated messages from two proenvironmental public information communication campaigns, the Big Clean Up and Clean Up New Zealand, affect interpersonal communication in families. It also considers how interpersonal communication flows on to affect family behaviour. The findings from these two campaigns indicate that while parents tended not to pass on information they obtained from campaign messages, children were more enthusiastic about sharing messages with other family members. Parents, it was found, had their current beliefs and behaviour patterns endorsed as a result of the messages. There were no notable behaviour changes in families where the parent was the initial message receiver. However, where children provided initial intervention behaviour, changes ranged from minor to remarkable. These findings have implications for public information campaign designers, where behaviour change is a campaign objective, and indicate an area where further r...

Research paper thumbnail of Readable, audible, navigable: accessible communication for the non-profit health sector

Communication Research and Practice, 2015

For non-profit organizations (NPOs) working in the health arena, digital media – with its broad r... more For non-profit organizations (NPOs) working in the health arena, digital media – with its broad reach, relative cost-effectiveness, and vaunted inclusivity – might seem to offer an optimal ensemble of channels with which to offer accessible communications to groups affected by disability. However, NPOs may struggle to comprehend and meet the accessibility needs of their stakeholder groups. This article reports on the digital communication practices of seven New Zealand NPOs dedicated to serving the health and disability sector. Communication representatives of the organizations were interviewed; e-newsletters were assessed against the 2008 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0), and recipients of the organizations’ e-newsletters were surveyed for their perceptions and suggestions. Greater awareness of the need for accessibility standards across all digital communication platforms, systematic application of WCAG 2.0, and consideration of the perspectives of individuals with disabilities will assist NPOs in improving their communication efforts.

Research paper thumbnail of How New Zealand organisations are using Facebook: A Public Relations Perspective

Research paper thumbnail of Blogs, political discussion and the 2005 New Zealand general election: a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD in Communication at Massey University

Communication technologies have altered the way people engage in political discourse. In recent y... more Communication technologies have altered the way people engage in political discourse. In recent years the internet has played a significant role in changing the way people receive political information, news and opinion. Perhaps the most significant difference as a result of advancements in communication and internet technology is how people participate in discussions and deliberate issues that are important to them. The 2005 New Zealand General Election fell at a time when functionality and access to fast and affordable internet ...

Research paper thumbnail of Transported: New Zealand non-profit organizations, digital platforms and the limitations of metaphor

New Media & Society, 2018

Digital communication has become ubiquitous to the non-profit sector, globally, and non-profit or... more Digital communication has become ubiquitous to the non-profit sector, globally, and non-profit organizations (NPOs) have adopted multiple digital media channels and platforms in attempts to connect with and influence external stakeholders. This article examines how non-profits in New Zealand (NZ) are using metaphoric language around their deployment of digital media channels. Since its inception, digital information technology has been explained in terms of transport metaphors such as information superhighway and digital traffic. These metaphors have become largely invisible. A combination of empirical and interpretative analyses was deployed to examine the metaphorical framework at work in NPO discussions of their digital media engagements. The analysis uncovered rhetoric that valued movement over destination, de-emphasized the stakeholder perspective and narrowly restricted the power to contribute to organizational meaning.

Research paper thumbnail of Blogging the New Zealand Election: The Impact of New Media Practices on the Old Game

Research paper thumbnail of Family communication

This study examines how mass-communicated messages from two pro-environmental public information ... more This study examines how mass-communicated messages from two pro-environmental public information communication campaigns, the Big Clean Up

Research paper thumbnail of Newsletters Have a Role to Play?

Non-profit organisations and relationship cultivation: Do electronic

Research paper thumbnail of The phatic nature of the online social sphere: Implications for public relations

This article considers the importance of phatic exchanges—a communication exchange that fulfils a... more This article considers the importance of phatic exchanges—a communication exchange that fulfils a social objective rather than imparting information—on social technologies, such as Facebook and Twitter. Social media and social networks have transformed the communication environment and the way organisations manage their stakeholder relationships. As new social technologies emerge so does the diversity of corresponding communication behaviours, and culture dimensions that underpin the connectivity and requirements for relationship building. Communication characteristics demonstrated by social media users challenge existing notions of relationship management and two-way communication flow. This paper concludes that in order for communication professionals to communicate effectively, they first need to understand the composition and expectations of relationships in the online social sphere.

Research paper thumbnail of The effect of public communication campaigns on family communication and behaviour : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Business Studies in Communication Management at Massey University

Research paper thumbnail of Affordances of e-Newsletters for NPO General-Public Stakeholders

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations

The study investigates the affordances of email newsletters as perceived by the general public su... more The study investigates the affordances of email newsletters as perceived by the general public subscribers of non-profit organizations’ e-newsletters, through analyzing over 17,000 survey responses. An affordance lens acknowledges the possibility of multiple courses of action and forms of engagement in relation to the technology. Findings reveal that email newsletters may be more useful in terms of relationship cultivation than has been generally recognized, but also that perceptions of email affordances varied considerably between segments of the non-profit sector. While finding no strong links between e-newsletter receipt and volunteering or donation activity, the usefulness of email newsletters in terms of building connection between organization and recipient was confirmed at a moderate level. While illuminating the range of affordances offered by email, which has been largely overlooked in the literature, this study also suggests a number of implications for organizations in the non-profit sector.

Research paper thumbnail of Family communication: A catalyst for socially desired behaviours

This study examines how masscommunicated messages from two proenvironmental public information co... more This study examines how masscommunicated messages from two proenvironmental public information communication campaigns, the Big Clean Up and Clean Up New Zealand, affect interpersonal communication in families. It also considers how interpersonal communication flows on to affect family behaviour. The findings from these two campaigns indicate that while parents tended not to pass on information they obtained from campaign messages, children were more enthusiastic about sharing messages with other family members. Parents, it was found, had their current beliefs and behaviour patterns endorsed as a result of the messages. There were no notable behaviour changes in families where the parent was the initial message receiver. However, where children provided initial intervention behaviour, changes ranged from minor to remarkable. These findings have implications for public information campaign designers, where behaviour change is a campaign objective, and indicate an area where further r...