Welcome! I am a Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology & Criminology Department at Butler University, where I teach courses on deviance and social control, social theory, media, and culture. Prior to joining the Butler faculty in fall 2021, I was Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology at St. Lawrence University.
I am excited about my newest book, Introduction to Media Sociology: All Media are Social (2nd ed., 2026, Routledge), co-authored with Andrew Lindner. As the title suggests, the book provides a timely (and hopefully timeless) introduction to media sociology that is written to engage a wide and diverse audience. This new edition includes countless updates, such as to address the growing influence of Big Tech, misinformation, and voices from outside the traditional mainstream. We also added a new chapter on the workings and implications of generative A.I. I have also published two solo-authored books, including my latest, Hacking Hybrid Media: Power and Practice in an Age of Manipulation (2024, Oxford University Press). From the structures of social media platforms and journalism organizations to the practices of political actors, the book brings the study of propaganda and media manipulation in conversation with literatures on media power and practice. By analyzing events like the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, the White House's first "social media summit," and the media frenzy following CNN reporter Jim Acosta's alleged assault of an intern, Hacking Hybrid Media shows how members of Donald Trump's "digital army" use Facebook groups, Reddit forums, Twitter hashtags, YouTube channels, mass media, and more to shape the flow of disinformation in American media. My first book, Citizens at the Gates: Twitter, Networked Publics, and the Transformation of American Journalism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018), won the 2020 CITAMS Book Award. Citizens at the Gates examines changes in the field of journalism due to the convergence of professionals, citizens, and activists on Twitter. I My work has also appeared in publications such as New Media & Society, Information, Communication & Society, Journalism, Studies in Media and Communications, Cultural Studies <=> Critical Methodologies. and Hybrid Pedagogy. I earned my Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Missouri in Columbia, where I also spent a year as a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Mizzou Advantage Media of the Future initiative, conducting research and teaching courses in Journalism, Peace Studies, and Sociology. After that, I spent the 2013-2014 academic year as a Lecturer and Postdoctoral Fellow in the Media, Film & Journalism Studies Department at the University of Denver. You can learn more about my research here. |
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