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Letter from the Director: December 2024

By ajk90December 17th, 2024in Homepage, Letters From the Director

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 current and original research of CRC fellows. Our fall speakers included Dr. Denis Wu (September), Dr. Chris Wells (November), and Dr. Maria “Betsi” Grabe (December).

An image of faculty from BU's School of Hospitality and the CRC Lab Manager, Amanda King, prepping a graduate student for biometric data collection.
A graduate student being prepped for biometric data collection by the CRC Lab Manager, while a faculty member looks on, pictured here.

Every semester, the CRC invites a distinguished scholar from outside the university to share their outstanding scholarship, expertise, and experience with the BU community. Our Fall 2024 Dr. Melvin L. DeFleur Distinguished Lecturer was Dr. Bartosz Wojdynski (University of Georgia) who spoke about deepfakes, AI images, and the psychology of detection. We were thrilled to welcome nearly 200 attendees from the BU community and from other universities in the Boston area.

To foster connections within our research community, our faculty fellows met monthly as part of our Work-In-Progress meetings. Special guests this semester included representatives from BU’s Institutional Review Board and from the office of BU’s Foundation Relations. We will continue these meetings in the spring semester on the first Thursday of the month at 3:30 pm. Our first meeting will be February 6th. Moreover, our Lunch & Learn series continued, enabling doctoral students the opportunity to talk with scholars such as Edward Schiappa, Ph.D, Arunima Krishna, Ph.D, Maria Grabe, Ph.D, and Katy Coduto, Ph.D, about their academic research and careers.

We concluded the semester with an onsite workshop focused on training faculty fellows on our biometric technology. Led by an iMotions Product Specialist, the workshop offered an introduction to the iMotions software, theoretical insights into neuroscience and voice analysis, and practical, hands-on experience with the hardware and software required for conducting in-depth analyses with these tools. If you are interested in learning more about biometrics, short primers are available here and here.

Given the University’s commitment to involving students in research, the CRC continued to facilitate fellows’ efforts to recruit students as research participants via our SONA research participant management system. SONA provides both graduate and undergraduate students with the opportunity to engage in various research activities across COM while earning course credit. This semester, students from 42 different COM courses had access to 26 research opportunities. Faculty fellows (or their advisees) who utilize CRC resources are required to register their courses with SONA. We encourage you to consider including your courses in the upcoming Spring semester. To enroll, please complete this form. For more details about the SONA program, visit our website or email us comsona@bu.edu.

Michelle Amazeen, Ph.D, Tammy Vigil, Ph.D, and Charlotte Howell, Ph.D photographed in the podcast studio.
All smiles following the first recording of 'The COMversation' with Michelle Amazeen, Ph.D (left), Tammy Vigil, Ph.D (center), and Charlotte Howell, Ph.D (right), pictured here.

The CRC also sought to advance the thought leadership of its fellows with the Media & Technology Public Opinion Poll. In August, Prof. Anne Danehy lent her expertise to a poll about candidate imagery: Democrats’ Convention Knocked Trump’s Image Among Independents, Survey Suggests. Our September poll addressed social media warning labels that corresponded to research from Dr. Traci Hong: Social Media Should Include Warnings About Nicotine, Vaping – and Social Media Itself, Say Large Majorities. And in October, our poll examined gendered media effects with Dr. Nivea Canalli Bona: Social Media Negatively Impacts Women More than Men, Americans Say in Survey. Faculty fellows interested in participating in a future poll can propose topics of interest by completing this form.

Finally, to make communication research more accessible to the public, the CRC has launched The COMversation, a podcast that connects academic insights with current events. Hosted by Dr. Charlotte Howell, the debut episode dives into the evolving norms of communication and the role of misinformation in politics, providing listeners with an engaging, in-depth discussion on these timely issues. And, as of today, the second episode Wicked Success has been released; it explores the rise in on-screen adaptations, big-budget marketing tours, and what led to the wicked success of Wicked Part 1.

None of these efforts would have been possible without the commitment and hard work of our staff this fall. I am tremendously grateful to our Lab and Research Manager, Amanda King, who received their certification from iMotions in human behavior research and has been offering an unbelievable number of workshops to our students throughout the semester. I would also like to thank our wonderful graduate and undergraduate assistants who helped to keep the Center running. Yelena Rodolitz (EMS) is our SONA administrator doing the behind-the-scenes work on our research participant management system. Yifang “Violet” Li (MCR) is our Communications Assistant writing about and promoting our activities. And Abby Bonner (FTV) and Eliza Lakritz (MS/AH) are our Podcast Assistants putting all the procedures and protocols in place for getting our podcast launched. Thanks to all, and I’m delighted our assistants will be continuing with us in the spring semester.

To our CRC community of fellows, I wish you all a joyous and restful holiday season and look forward to the many new and exciting activities we are planning for 2025!

CRC Seed Grant Spotlight: AnneMarie McClain’s Study on Media and Marginalized Youth

By ajk90December 6th, 2024in Homepage

By Violet Li

The inaugural CRC Faculty Research Seed Grants, awarded last Spring, have provided essential support for innovative projects advancing communication scholarship. These grants foster inter-departmental collaboration and address pressing societal issues, showcasing the power of research to make meaningful contributions. As we look ahead to the next round of funding in Spring 2025, we celebrate the grant recipients and their exceptional work.

In this article, we spotlight the research of Professor AnneMarie McClain, whose community-engaged study highlights the intersection of media representation and identity among marginalized youth. Below, she shares an overview of her research, the invaluable role of the CRC Faculty Research Seed Grant, and her aspirations for the impact of this work.

Research Overview and Goals

Professor AnneMarie McClain (she/her) is running a series of community-engaged focus groups with gender expansive children (ages 3 to 17) and their families, in partnership with two LGBTQ+ youth nonprofit organizations and a seasoned children’s media content expert, Elly Kramer. Since there is striking little research about what particular kinds of representations are most affirming, useful, and effective for marginalized youth and their families, AnneMarie and her research team will explore what kinds of media this particular community of kids and families need and want to see in their children’s media representation, and what kinds of media they already use to help them navigate identity. The intention is to share results and recommendations for content with folks in both industry and academia.

 

Violet: "How the CRC Faculty Research Seed Grant has enabled your work, particularly in ways that would not have been possible without the funding?"

Professor McClain:
“The CRC Faculty Research Seed Grant has been essential to this project, and I’m so honored to have received one. Focus groups are expensive and time-intensive. We need to feed people, compensate participants well, have supplies (e.g., markers, paper) for kids to participate, and compensate the nonprofit partners who are integral to recruitment efforts and data collection. Additionally, given the sensitive topics discussed and vulnerability of this community, we also need to ensure that transcriptions are made via a company that does HIPPA-compliant services, which adds another cost. With my CRC Grant, I am able to cover all of these expenses, as well as pay for a wonderfully talented undergraduate RA to round out my team of strong graduate student RAs. The fact that this project has institutional financial support from COM also meant a lot to one of the LGBTQ+ youth organizations we are working with, because it helped communicate the value of this work.”
Violet:"What are your hopes for the future impact of this research, and how do you envision its potential applications or long-term objectives?"
Professor McClain:
“We have so many goals for this project! One goal is to push the field of children’s media scholarship forward theoretically; there is little work that has been done in terms of robust theorizing around the representation preferences and selections for marginalized kids, and I see ways to combine various theoretical traditions to expand our frameworks and understanding. This study is only the first of a long series of projects that I envision doing that centers this community and the ways they use media.

I also hope that the project can serve as an example of the kind of inclusive methodology that can generate meaningful partnerships and findings that can be used to make a tangible difference in the lives of kids and families. Related to this, we plan to share the results and recommendations with folks in the children’s media industry, and we hope to co-design those recommendations with children’s media colleagues, our nonprofit partners, and kids and families. Media have so much potential to affirm kids and help them navigate identity, including as it relates to experiences with bias. We hope to get more conversations started about exactly what kinds of representation might help promote positive outcomes for kids who are looking to see themselves.”

The CRC Faculty Research Seed Grants demonstrate the transformative potential of targeted funding in advancing communication research and fostering meaningful societal impact. Professor McClain’s work is a testament to how these grants empower scholars to tackle pressing issues with innovative approaches, ultimately contributing to a more inclusive and equitable future. As the CRC prepares for the next round of funding, we look forward to supporting more groundbreaking projects that bridge academia, industry, and community to address the challenges of our time.

Letter from the Director: November 2024

By ajk90November 18th, 2024in Homepage, Letters From the Director

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 that Americans misinformed about crime rates, the economy, and immigration were more likely to vote for Trump.

One critical factor not fully captured by polling data is the persistence of high prices on essentials like groceries and housing, despite a decrease in inflation over the past year. If people struggle to put food on the table or keep up with rent, that tangible economic hardship outweighs broader statistical trends.

At the same time, the constant barrage of misinformation – spread through ads, news programming, and social media – can create an illusory truth effect where repetition makes false claims seem credible. This repetition led many to believe that issues like border crossings and inflation remained out-of-control, despite evidence suggesting otherwise.

In understanding the election outcome, it’s also important to consider the quickly evolving media environment and changes in how people are getting their news and information. These are topics I have explored in-depth with my students throughout the year. Podcasts, for example, are an increasingly popular medium for news, with nearly half of US adults having listened to at least one in the past month, according to Statista. Both presidential candidates tapped into this trend, appearing on influential podcasts such as Joe Rogan’s (Trump) and Howard Stern’s (Harris). Simultaneously, many Americans are turning away from traditional news outlets and are seeking information online from alternative sources and influencers. Even some prominent journalists have left legacy media to strike out on their own (see Kara Swisher, Taylor Lorenz, and Chris Wallace).

Social media has also become a dominant news source. More than half (54%) of US adults, and over three-quarters (78%) of young adults aged 18-24, get their news from social media at least occasionally. My students, drawing from their own experiences and research, tell me that young people prefer social media for news because it’s accessible, caters to shorter attention spans, and—importantly—is free. With paid news subscriptions largely unappealing to young audiences, free access on platforms like Instagram and TikTok is more attractive.

However, these alternative news sources often lack the commitment to journalistic principles like verification and accuracy. Since Twitter’s rebranding to X, the platform has become a significant vector for misinformation. Facebook has also deemphasized its role as a news source, removing its news tab and ending licensing deals with publishers. While some news influencers strive to engage and inform audiences, foreign adversaries have also leveraged the influence of certain content creators to spread conspiratorial narratives that deepen existing societal divisions.

The election outcome highlights how emotional narratives held more sway than facts and logic. Interestingly, my research with Dr. Arunima Krishna has shown that narrative-based counter-messaging can help combat misinformation. This offers a hopeful silver lining for our communication students, who are learning to become the emotionally resonant storytellers of tomorrow.

To make communication research more accessible to the public, the CRC recently launched The COMversation, a podcast that connects academic insights with current events. Hosted by Dr. Charlotte Howell, the debut episode dives into the evolving norms of communication and the role of misinformation in politics, providing listeners with an engaging, in-depth discussion on these timely issues.

If you're interested in exploring how communication research informs our understanding of current events, join us on The COMversation. Listen to the latest episode, share it with your network, and be part of a conversation that strives for a more informed and engaged public.

Survey: Social Media Negatively Impacts Women More than Men, Americans Say in Survey

By ajk90November 11th, 2024in Homepage, Media & Technology Press Releases

By Burt Glass

Social media impacts women more negatively than men, according to most Americans, but traditional media does a better job giving equal attention to issues that affect both.

The latest Media & Technology survey by Boston University’s College of Communication found that three times as many than not, for example, say social media content negatively impacts women more than men, in terms of body perception, lifestyle and self-esteem (52% agree vs. 17% disagree).

But when asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the idea that TV, magazines, radio and newspapers “give equal attention to issues that affect women and issues that affect men,” respondents were almost evenly split (32% agreed, 35% disagreed).

“The most surprising result was the proportion of people, an average of 35%, that have no clear position when it comes to having an opinion on how women’s issues are covered or portrayed in the media,” said Nivea Canalli Bona., a master lecturer at Boston University’s College of Communication. “This could be a sign of low media literacy, which shows that people are not critical of the role media plays in perpetuating stereotypes. It can further point to the need for more media literacy projects in the country – with the goal of fighting misinformation and disinformation – which should investigate the gender issue.”

Read full story here.

Media & Technology Survey Interest Poll

By ajk90October 24th, 2024in Faculty Opportunities, Homepage

Faculty members are invited to participate in monthly polls conducted in collaboration with Ipsos, exploring key topics like media trust, artificial intelligence, and climate change. This is an opportunity to advance thought leadership, gain media coverage, and contribute to research that aligns with COM's strategic goals of addressing modern communication challenges. Selected faculty will collaborate with the CRC polling committee to craft questions, analyze cross-tabulated data, and contribute insights to press releases.

For more details on how to submit your topic of interest, visit here.

Letter from the Director: October 2024

By Michelle AmazeenOctober 17th, 2024in Homepage, Letters From the Director

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 other forms of abuse. According to reports in the New York Times and the Washington Post, these attacks are often framed as reactions to alleged political bias and the suppression of conservative speech. Rather than debating the merits of this argument – which lacks empirical support –my focus is on highlighting the assaults on misinformation researchers. My goal is to raise awareness of this issue, help researchers access the support they need to continue their vital work, and to urge institutions to implement protections for these researchers.

Efforts to silence those presenting scientific evidence that challenges prevailing beliefs are far from new. In the 1500s, Copernicus, whose heliocentric theory contradicted the Catholic Church’s geocentric view that the Earth was the center of the universe, was denounced for proposing that the Earth orbits the sun. Galileo, who defended this theory, spent the final years of his life under house arrest as a result. During Nazi Germany’s Third Reich (1933-1945), scholars who produced evidence contradicting Nazi ideology, particularly the belief in a “Master race,” faced imprisonment, exile, or worse. And for years, the US tobacco industry attempted to raise doubt, discredit, and derail the work of scientists providing evidence of the connection between smoking and cancer. This strategic suppression has been repeated against those raising alarms about climate change, those studying vaccines, and, more recently, misinformation researchers.

Intimidation and harassment of scientific experts has become an occupational hazard. Nearly half of US researchers report that they or someone they know has been a target. Among climate scientists who have been quoted in the media at least once a month, almost 3 in 4 have experienced abuse. It’s even worse for scientists who are women or from underrepresented groups.

Coordinated campaigns targeting researchers have far-reaching personal, professional, and societal consequences. On a personal level, those attacked often experience heightened anxiety, depression and social withdrawal. Professionally, these researchers are more likely to self-censor, limit the public availability of their work, or even leave the field entirely. As a result, public trust in scientific experts and higher education erodes, stifling informed discourse and debate. Ultimately, we are moving away from the age of enlightenment into an era of darkening where science, empirical evidence, and rationality are obscured.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. The Researcher Support Consortium has compiled resources to assist those under attack and provides guidance to organizations on how to effectively address their needs. Researchers can empower themselves by planning ways to mitigate risks, by developing strategic response strategies, and by connecting with a broader community of supporters.

Institutions have an important role to play in supporting researchers, as well. The Researcher Support Consortium offers a toolkit of practical and actionable steps that institutions can take to prepare for attacks. Steps include setting up researcher support and response teams, understanding how to effectively communicate with impacted researchers, and responding to incidents of abuse while both protecting the needs of the researcher and the reputation of the institution.

To this end, the CRC has issued a statement on researcher intimidation and harassment, which is available in full here. The CRC views these threats as serious occupational hazards and is committed to 1) raising awareness of these challenges, 2) creating robust policies and protocols to safeguard researchers, and 3) fostering an environment that empowers our research fellows to continue their important work in addressing contemporary societal challenges.

Thank you to the researchers who have established the Researcher Support Consortium, a valuable resource that will benefit many.

Survey: Social Media Should Include Warnings about Nicotine, Vaping — and Social Media Itself, say Large Majorities

By ajk90October 3rd, 2024in Homepage, Media & Technology Press Releases

By Burt Glass

Social media companies should include warning labels on posts promoting nicotine, vaping and tobacco, say large majorities of Americans in the latest Media & Technology survey from Boston University’s College of Communication.

“The Surgeon General’s call for warning labels on social media is straight from the tobacco playbook when the government required warning labels on tobacco products,” said Traci Hong, PhD., professor at Boston University College of Communication and author of the survey. “They work, but they are not widely used on social media where vaping is promoted.

Read full story here.

Survey: Democrats’ Convention Knocked Trump’s Image Among Independents, Survey Suggests

By ajk90September 11th, 2024in Homepage, Media & Technology Press Releases

By Burt Glass

The Democratic National Convention weakened former President Donald Trump’s image – notably among political Independents — but did not appreciably boost that of his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, according to new national surveys conducted before and after the convention by Boston University’s College of Communication.

“The changes we are seeing, pre- and post-DNC in how Independents perceive Donald Trump is quite staggering,” said Anne Danehy, a former pollster and associate professor of the practice teaching political campaigns at Boston University’s College of Communication. “The Democratic National Convention did a good job of cutting into Trump’s image, but those positive images were not transferred to Harris.”

Read full story here.

Survey: Moderators Should Point Out Factual Errors in Real Time on Eve of Presidential Debate, Americans say

By ajk90September 11th, 2024in Homepage, Media & Technology Press Releases

By Burt Glass

On the eve of the first of two planned presidential debates between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, more than two out of three Americans say moderators should point out factual inaccuracies in candidates’ comments during the debate, according to a new Media & Technology Survey from Boston University’s College of Communication, out today.

Support for fact-checking in real time is stronger among Democrats (81% agree or strongly agree) than Republicans (67%), the survey finds.

“Support for moderators pointing out errors is bipartisan and relatively high across the board,” said Tammy Vigil, PhD., senior associate dean and associate professor, media science, at Boston University’s College of Communication. “Still, the results imply that Democrats either may value verifiable information more than the Republican counterparts, or that they think live fact checking would significantly benefit their candidate or harm the opposition.”

Read full story here.

Letter from the Director: September 2024

By ajk90September 3rd, 2024in Homepage, Letters From the Director

Back-to-School 2024

By: Michelle Amazeen

A group photo at AEJMC 2024
Pictured at the 2024 AEJMC conference in Philadelphia: Dr. Cen April Yue, Dr. Arunima Krishna, Dr. Sung-Un Yang, Dr. Michelle Amazeen, and Dr. Ejae Lee.

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 Coast, Australia and also at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

As of July 1st, the CRC welcomed five new scholars: Dr. Sung-Un Yang, Professor and Chair, Department of Mass Communication, Advertising and Public Relations; Dr. Juwon Hwang, Assistant Professor of Media Science; Dr. Ejae Lee, Assistant Professor of Public Relations; Dr. Ayse Lokmanoglu, Assistant Professor of Emerging Media Studies; and Dr. Cen April Yue, Assistant Professor of Public Relations. I am excited to have them as colleagues and look forward to working with and learning from them.

All COM faculty, staff, and students are welcome to attend the CRC’s inaugural Open House scheduled for Thursday, September 26th from 4:00 – 6:00 pm. Co-hosted with CISS, you can start off on the lower level of Alden Hall, 704 Commonwealth Avenue to enjoy refreshments, demonstrations of our biometric technologies, and opportunities to network with your colleagues in the CRC. And you can also visit our friends from the Center for Innovation in Social Science on the 5th floor to learn about their research and affiliation opportunities. Please RSVP here if you plan on attending.

The CRC’s fall programming is set with an outstanding lineup of presentations. Our Colloquium Series includes the following talks from COM researchers:

  • September 24 (Tuesday) @ 3:30 pm: Dr. Denis Wu
  • October 23 (Wednesday) @ 3:30 pm: Dr. Betsi Grabe
  • November 20 (Wednesday) @ 3:30 pm: Dr. Chris Wells

More details on each presentation coming soon!

As part of our Dr. Melvin L. DeFleur Distinguished Lecture Series, on Wednesday, November 13th @ 3:30 pm we will welcome to our campus Dr. Bart Wojdynski, Jim Kennedy New Media Professor and Director of the Digital Media Attention and Cognition (DMAC) Lab at University of Georgia, Athens. More details on Dr. Wojdynski’s lecture coming soon, as well.

In collaboration with COM’s MarComm department, we will be hosting a COMtalk virtual panel titled, The Campaign to Curb Misinformation Research, @ 3 p.m., ET, Wednesday, October 9, 2024. I will moderate a panel of esteemed misinformation researchers including Dr. Joan Donovan, Assistant Professor of Journalism, Boston University; Dr. Claire Wardle, Associate Professor, Cornell University, and Co-founder, Information Future Lab; and Dr. Rebekah Tromble, Director of the Institute for Data, Democracy, and Politics and Associate Professor, George Washington University.

Panel Description: The alarming rise of mis- and disinformation influencing recent elections spurred a flurry of new research to understand the trend. But work among academics, nonprofits and the technology sector made some activists suspicious that a conspiracy was developing to muzzle conservative and right-wing ideas – leading to a campaign to curb research. In these polarized times, is the future of the field threatened?

Our monthly Work-in-Progress (WIP) meetings resumes on September 26th at 12:30 pm in the CRC room B04E. WIP is your opportunity to forge connections within our research community and talk research with other COM faculty members. Attendees are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch.

A green sign saying 'Works in Progress'

The CRC will also continue to offer research training opportunities for faculty and students on our technologies including Meltwater and iMotions software. Over the summer, our Lab and Research Manager, Amanda King, received their certification in Human Behavior Research with a focus on biosensor modules from iMotions. Amanda is available for offering workshops for your students this fall to expose them to biometric research. If interested in learning more, you can email Amanda at ajk90@bu.edu.

To further promote the thought leadership of our faculty fellows, the CRC is continuing its Media & Technology Public Opinion Poll with national polling firm, Ipsos. Since its inception in January 2022, CRC fellows have polled the public on information integrity topics ranging from media trust, artificial intelligence, climate change, social media censorship, dating apps, media literacy, and more. Check out the press releases here. Fellows can also access the raw data to past polls here (password protected). Curious about fielding a poll related to your own research? Find more details and submit your interest here.

Finally, stay tuned for a fun initiative the CRC is embarking on to rename the rooms in our center. No more B04E, B02A, or the ill-advised NRA. We’ll be soliciting your input for communication research related suggestions for our rooms (think the Herta Herzog Naturalistic Viewing Room). Share your suggestions here.

I wish you all a wonderful fall semester and hope to see you around campus (if not in the CRC) soon!