Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Multi-sector Communications (Ph.D.)

Department

Division of Mass Communication

First Advisor

Nancy DiTunnariello

Second Advisor

Basilio Monteiro

Third Advisor

Mark Juszczak

Abstract

This study analyzes 123 websites from the Canary Islands, Iceland, and Puerto Rico, each including an equal number of tourism businesses, environmental organizations, and governments from each region, to examine the rhetorical digital communication strategies used and the textual differences between these websites. Thematic analysis was the methodology employed in this study. Ten themes were found inductively from the data, which are: 1) economic value framing, 2) cultural identity and heritage, 3) technological mediation, 4) inspiring guilt, awe, and urgency, 5) sustainability as an instrument, 6) intergenerational responsibility, 7) global versus local contestations, 8) accessibility and inclusion, 9) transparency and accountability, and 10) place branding and identity. Using rhetorical analysis by way of Aristotle’s ethos, logos, and pathos, and Cicero’s kairos, as a theoretical framework, the main findings include that each homepage skillfully incorporates logos (data), ethos (authenticity), and pathos (emotionally resonant descriptions) to create a cohesive, persuasive appeal. According to the findings, governments use institutional logos and a data-driven ethos; businesses use consumer trust and aesthetic pathos; and environmental organizations use moral urgency and an activist ethos as examples of textual differences between stakeholders.

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