RESEARCH INSIGHTS AND
CJC faculty and students published a range of research and insights in 2021 on key issues affecting our society. Here is some of the research we summarized this year.
Artificial Intelligence
Political Communication
AI TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION WITH SOCIAL ROBOTS
WANT THE RICH TO PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE? DON’T CALL IT A TAX
The primary function of “social robots” is to facilitate communication with humans, and is being applied in a variety of industries, including education and physical and mental health. Kun Xu, assistant professor in emerging media, is studying how to enhance that communication through voice, gestures and other social cues.
President Joe Biden considered a variety of tax options to pay for his $2 trillion infrastructure and jobs package. How will he sell a new tax? Reframing taxes as an investment in public services that we all use or benefit from—such as roads and bridges, water and sewer systems—would be one approach, says Karel Chair for Public Interest Communications Angela Bradbery.
Social Media
D EAN ’ S R E P O R T 2 0 2 2
BRAND CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGIES ON YOUTUBE
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YouTube has become a major platform for video content marketing. Media Production, Management, and Technology Professor Sylvia Chan-Olmsted and doctoral student Rang Wang wanted to understand how some brands have used YouTube in their content marketing campaign, including engagement formats and content appeals. WHEN PEOPLE COMPARE THEMSELVES TO THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA FRIENDS, IT CAN HELP OR HURT THEIR FEELINGS Does social media use lead to greater life satisfaction or self-esteem? Does it lead to better moods? When does social media use lead to positive or negative emotional responses? This research by Advertising Assistant Professor Benjamin Johnson explores the specific motives behind social media use to determine its actual effects.
HOW CONSERVATIVE AND LIBERAL MEDIA REINFORCE POLITICAL BELIEFS Levels of political polarization continue to escalate in the U.S., causing an increasingly wide chasm between liberals and conservatives. New research by Public Relations scholars Jay Hmielowski and Myiah Hutchens explores whether liberal and conservative news outlets contributed to this political divide and increased polarization.
