The CRC at 66: A Legacy of Inquiry in a Changing Media Landscape By: Michelle Amazeen COM graduate students in the division of Emerging Media Studies hosted their annual #ScreentimeBU conference on June 23rd. This year’s theme was The Human Algorithm: Exploring Digital Behavior, AI Influence, & Inclusive Futures. I was honored to deliver the […]
The Spring 2025 Semester in Review By: Michelle Amazeen With the end of another semester, I have been reflecting upon the many activities in the CRC and among our fellows in 2025, thus far. At a time when external research funding has been increasingly difficult to attain (and retain), the CRC continued its annual call […]
Do Something… By: Michelle Amazeen In February, I joined a panel hosted by Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies titled “Politics by Non-Politicians: Elon Musk, Social Media, and the 21st-Century Election Landscape.” During the Q&A, a student named Aiden asked a question that has stayed with me ever since: “I was born […]
Americans Expect Social Media Content Moderation By: Michelle Amazeen In an age where misinformation spreads at the speed of a click, the announcement by Meta—formerly Facebook—to abandon its partnership with independent fact-checking organizations raises urgent questions. Meta’s decision comes at a critical juncture, as the U.S. faces an era where disinformation campaigns—often amplified by political […]
The Fall 2024 Semester in Review By: Michelle Amazeen December marks the conclusion of another bustling semester for the CRC which kicked off with our inaugural open house co-hosted with the Center for Innovation in Social Science. We also celebrated the 15-year milestone of our Colloquium Series, which consists of monthly research presentations that highlight […]
Election 2024 Debrief: Insights from Communication Research By: Michelle Amazeen Since November 5th, there has been ongoing reflection on why the election ultimately favored Trump, particularly given his frequent use of misleading or false claims. For those who study media and communication, the link between misinformation and voting behavior is concerning. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found […]
Resisting the Era of Darkening: The Researcher Support Consortium By: Michelle Amazeen Last week, I moderated a panel of experts on the growing intimidation and harassment faced by researchers studying misinformation. As I’ve noted in previous writings, scholars investigating the origins, spread, and impacts of misinformation are increasingly becoming targets of congressional hearings, subpoenas, doxxing, and […]
Back-to-School 2024 By: Michelle Amazeen The fall semester is upon us, and I hope CRC fellows are re-engaging with renewed energy and enthusiasm. Over the summer, many of us turned to advancing our research efforts and sharing our work on the academic conference circuit. COM was well represented at the International Communication Association in Gold […]
The Next Frontier: A Deep Dive into Biometrics with Lab Manager, Amanda King By: Michelle Amazeen As part of our mission, the Communication Research Center offers state-of-the art technology to facilitate our fellows’ ability to advance theory and methods in addressing society’s communication-related challenges. One of our unique resources is a suite of biometric technologies […]
The Role of Information Integrity in BU’s Next Chapter By: Michelle Amazeen As part of COM’s strategic plan to focus on communication that helps society engage with modern challenges, many fellows of the Communication Research Center have been sharpening their attention on issues of information integrity. As such, it was unsurprising to see so many […]