Research and Presentations

I have just completed my Masters in Mass Communication Research at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and will begin my PhD through the CU ATLAS Program in Fall 2010. My research to date has covered the following areas:

1. The mediation and mediatization of breastfeeding and its relationship to societal norms. On February 18, 2009 I presented a segment of my research at Ignite 3 in Boulder. Ignite is an awesome fun opportunity where presenters have 5 minutes and 20 slides that are on auto advance, with 15 seconds for each slide. You can watch the fun here.

2. The integration of Web 2.0 communication with professional journalism and associated ethical issues. I produced a paper that focused on the case study of the (now closed) Rocky Mountain News and the ethical implications of its use of Twitter to report from the funeral of a child killed in an accident. I recommend a model for using Twitter as part of a traditional reporting toolkit. The paper was not only not accepted to the main journalism conference (AEJMC), but that conference also failed to supply feedback on the work, which is a standard practice, even after they were asked numerous times. (I think they were freaked a little because it was … not in their realm.)

3. My thesis studied the strength of social capital online in social media. Leading up to it, I produced a paper on the use of speech acts (hashtags, @ and retweets) and discourse/turn taking on Twitter to perform identity work and associations between people. This paper was key to my invitation to attend the Rutgers Invitational Masters Student Institute in New York in 2009. I met some firm friends at IMSI and have very fond memories.

6. I presented as part of a panel with some amazing women at the Mom 2.0 Summit in Houston in February, 2010. We considered Strategy and the brand of your blog. It was freaking awesome.

6. I am interested in writing a paper on social media and the homeless. The latent sphere of the network society indicates that relationships formed on social media are actually breaking through barriers that exist in offline society. While many will talk to anyone online, they would not do so face to face, or “in real life.”

7. I am also interested in what makes people share incredibly personal journeys through social media. A death of a child or spouse; marital breakdown; personal health journey, etc.

8. With my academic business partner, Mark Gammon, I have co-written a book chapter on Media Literacy in the Digital Age, presented at 2009 COLTT Conference on Twitter, and will present on The Forgotten Aspects of Media Literacy for COLTT in 2010. We also consult on social media, primarily in an education and research realm.

8. My PhD. work will be done within Prof. Leysia Palen’s ConnectivIT lab at CU, looking at how technology including social media is used by people in crises such as natural disasters. My role in the lab is focused on the humanities (social capital, trust and engagement).

If you would like to be interviewed for any area of my research, or read any of my work, please feel free to access the form on the Contacts page. I am particularly interested in discourse with academics in the same fields, and with those who have particular experiences to share.

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