The Dark Side of Comedy When the Boston University Communication Research Center was first organized in the late 1950s, some of its earliest research involved the study of comics. Fears were so great in the U.S. about the potential harms of comic books on youth that Congress created a subcommittee to study their effects on […]
Disinformation Warfare in Perpetuating World Tensions The unfolding, grisly war in Ukraine has made clear that in 2022 – nearly a century after communication theorist Harold Lasswell’s dissertation on propaganda – battles take place not only with physical confrontations, but also continue via information warfare designed to win the hearts and minds of observers. Communication […]
Following the Playbook of Our Earliest Broadcasters The continuing concerns about the spread of misinformation are at the forefront of news again in early 2022, engulfing celebrities Joe Rogan and Whoopi Goldberg and their employers. In Rogan’s case, accusations of Covid-19 vaccine misinformation have dogged his “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast that is on the Spotify […]
Communication Research in 2022 As we embark on a new calendar year, I asked some of our CRC fellows to share their thoughts on important communication research trends for 2022. For COM Assistant Professor of Emerging Media Studies Chris Chao Su, it is the pandemic that will continue to play a prominent role in shaping […]
As 2021 draws to a close, I asked some of our CRC Fellows to reflect on the last 12 months and share what was most noteworthy to them in the realm of communication research. Two of our Fellows observed an increased emphasis on communication efforts for social change. For Assistant Professor of Public Relations Rosalynn […]
This letter is part of a monthly series from the Director of the CRC, Dr. Michelle Amazeen. Facebook’s WALL-E Moment? When Facebook announced it was changing its name to Meta last month, the Disney-Pixar movie WALL-E (2008) was the first thing that came to my mind. The sci-fi movie was about a robot left on […]
This letter is part of a monthly series from the Director of the CRC, Dr. Michelle Amazeen A Message from the CRC Director, Dr. Michelle Amazeen In June of 1945, the deliverymen of eight major New York City newspapers went on strike for over two weeks, effectively depriving residents of reading the newspaper. Chronicled in […]
This letter is part of a monthly series from the Director of the CRC, Dr. Michelle Amazeen August 2021 As the new CRC Director, I am humbled and honored to be stepping into the role formerly held by co-Directors Dr. Mina Tsay-Vogel and Dr. James Cummings and prior to them, Dr. Michael Elasmar. Today, with […]