Table Of ContentUniversity of Tennessee, Knoxville
Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative
Exchange
Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School
5-2011
Te Lived Meanings of Product Placement in
Social Network Sites (SNSs) among Urban
Chinese White-Collar Professional Users: A Story
of Happy Network
Huan Chen
To the Graduate Council:
I am submiting herewith a dissertation writen by Huan Chen entitled "Te Lived Meanings of Product
Placement in Social Network Sites (SNSs) among Urban Chinese White-Collar Professional Users: A
Story of Happy Network." I have examined the fnal electronic copy of this dissertation for form and
content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfllment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Communication and Information.
Eric Haley, Major Professor
We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance:
Ron Taylor, Margaret Morrison, Dan Flint
Accepted for the Council:
Dixie L. Tompson
Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
(Original signatures are on fle with ofcial student records.)
To the Graduate Council:
I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Huan Chen entitled “The Lived
Meanings of Product Placements in Social Network Sites (SNSs) among Chinese Urban
White-Collar Professionals: A Story of Happy Network.” I have examined the final
electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a
major in Communication and Information.
Eric Haley, Major Professor
We have read this dissertation
and recommend its acceptance:
Ron Taylor
Margaret Morrison
Dan Flint
Accepted for the Council:
Carolyn R. Hodges
Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
(Original signatures are on file with official student records.)
THE LIVED MEANINGS OF PRODUCT
PLACEMENT IN SOCIAL NETWORK SITES (SNSS)
AMONG CHINESE URBAN WHITE-COLLAR
PORFESSIONALS: A STORY OF HAPPY
NETWORK
A Dissertation Presented for the
Doctor of Philosophy
Degree
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Huan Chen
May 2011
Copyright © 2010 by Huan Chen
All rights reserved.
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DEDICATION
This dissertation is dedicated to my beloved mother. Wish she gain
peace in heaven knowing that her daughter finally became Dr. Chen.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In my life-world, the lived meanings of doctoral study are expressed in one
word – CREATION. “C” refers to challenge. My academic journey of doctoral
study is one of the biggest challenges in my life, and I am glad that I finally
survived. “R” means research. During my doctoral study, a major part of my
social experiences is doing research. “E” represents enjoyment. I truly enjoyed
every minute of my doctoral study although the process was full of ups and
downs. “A” stands for analysis. The doctoral study requires a strong analytical
skill, and I am pride that I possess such an essential skill. “T” denotes
transformation. After three and half years’ systematic training, I successfully
transformed from a doctoral student into a scholar. “I” is the abbreviation of
imagination. My doctoral study is composed of various imaginative activities
inside and outside classrooms. “O” signifies originality. In the entire process of
my doctoral study, I was constantly encouraged to view a variety of phenomena
from fresh perspectives, generate creative and innovative ideas, and solve
problems creatively. “N” indicates newness. One of the most important goals of
my doctoral study is to add something new to the body of knowledge, and I
believe that my dissertation fulfills this goal.
The lived meanings of my doctoral study were co-created with some
distinctive social actors in my life-world, who deserve my sincere appreciation.
First of all, I would like to thank Dr. Eric Haley. I was very lucky to have him to
serve as my academic and dissertation advisor. He is my role model as an
excellent teacher and a distinguished researcher. He is one of the smartest
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scholars I have ever seen, who has clear thoughts, extraordinary insights,
superior analytical skills, and the high work efficiency. Without his kind help, I
couldn’t develop intellectually and professionally. Each of my small achievements
in the doctoral study was under his guidance and supportive by him. In my life-
world, he is the best advisor.
I would also like to thank Dr. Ron Taylor. His class of Advertising and
Communication Theory is one of the best courses I've taken, and the most
unforgettable and intriguing one, which not only greatly benefited my current
teaching but also facilitated my research. As my dissertation committee member,
during both stages of proposal development and dissertation writing, he raised
several critical questions, which were very helpful for me to clarify some
important issues. I also enjoyed communicating with him because his subtle
humor made our every communication a pleasant experience.
I would express my gratitude to Dr. Margaret Morrison. The Qualitative
Research Method course I took from her was one of the most demanding and
interesting courses in my doctoral study. To a certain degree, this course shifted
my mindset from the quantitative camp to the qualitative world. I would also like
to show my sincere appreciation for her to be my dissertation committee member.
During the whole process, she always responded to my messages promptly. Her
constructive and insightful suggestions for my dissertation proposal greatly
improved the quality and the feasibility of the research design. Her sincere and
incisive feedbacks for the first draft of my dissertation helped me to view the
dissertation from a reader’s perspective thus allow me to better tell the story.
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I would also like to show my appreciation for Dr. Dan Flint. In addition to my
advisor, he was the only person with whom I had two doctoral seminars during
my study at UTK. These two courses were deemed by me the most challenging
but enjoyable ones in my doctoral study. Specifically, Dr. Flint’s distinction of
three traditions in qualitative research methods greatly benefited me when I
conducted my dissertation research and other research projects. He was also
very generous to serve as my committee member. His pertinent and enlightening
comments were of great importance for me to revise my dissertation and think
about my future research directions.
My friends and colleagues, Lei Wu, Arsev Aydinoglu, Anthony Ho-Young,
Nutthaun Rajanakorn, and Katerina Spasovska, deserve special thanks. I thank
Lei Wu for her understandings, insights, and advices at critical points. In my life-
world, she is my best friend, elder sister, research consultant, and
psychotherapist. I thank her and Arsev for helping me to rehearse my
dissertation presentation and being supportive in my oral defense. Their helpful
comments and encouragement were crucial for me to successfully pass my oral
defense. I thank Anthony for his direct and insightful comments, and I thank Nikki
and Katerina for their kindness and support in my entire doctoral study.
I would also like to thank Xiaolei Zeng and Qinghua Yan for recruiting
participants for me, and thank Xiaolei Zeng and Zhen Yang for providing
accommodation during my trips to Beijing and Shanghai. I would like to thank my
participants as well. Without their kind help, my research would never have left
the ground. I thank Laurie Knox for serving as my dissertation editor. With her
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kind assistance, my dissertation appears more polished and professional than
previous drafts.
Finally, I would like to thank my beloved parents – Shike Chen and Yuju Wu,
my husband – Bin Xu, and my daughter – Flora Xu for their endless love and
support. Without their generous support and constant encouragement, I couldn’t
survive my doctoral study and earn the Ph.D. degree.
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