Digital Media and Communication for Health & Politics Research Group
At the Digital Media and Communication for Health and Politics (DMC) group, we study how we communicate and interact with digital media about health and political issues. We conduct theory-based, culturally sensitive, and interdisciplinary research using quantitative research methods.
Our current work examines online misinformation about reproductive health issues (i.e., HPV vaccine, abortion, and postpartum depression) and its effects on women’s knowledge, perception, and behavior regarding the issues. We particularly focus on marginalized groups of women in New Mexico who have barriers to accessing healthcare services. We are currently working on three studies:
First, from a feminist perspective, we explore how exposure to and endorsement of abortion misinformation influence knowledge, attitude, and political participation regarding abortion issues.
Second, from a health communication perspective, we examine how different types of misinformation about HPV vaccination influence women’s information processing linked to knowledge, perceived risk, and refusal/ acceptance of vaccination.
Third, based on selective exposure theory, we investigate whether online (mis)information about controversial health issues leads people to reinforce their own existing beliefs or to access multiple resources to correct potential misunderstanding.
Director
Yangsun Hong
Assistant Professor
Interests
social determinants of health inequities, communication inequalities, social norms approach, perception of media bias, misinformation, intersectionality, public opinion, political conversation, political participation, stigmaGraduate Students
Sumaira Abrar
Ph.D. candidate
Interests
health communication, patient-provider communication, health disparities, social determinants of health
Cassidy D. Ellis
Ph.D. student
Interests
reproductive justice, abortion, anti-abortion violence, the U.S. South, racialization, auto-methodologies
Hyerin Kwon
MA student
Interests
political communication, digital and social media, public sphere, civic engagement, political participation, public deliberation
Kimberly Oostman
Ph.D. student
Interests
crisis communication, social media and regret, corporate apology, corporate empathy, female representation in media
Camille R. Velarde
Ph.D. student
Interests
heatlh communication, health messaging, social media, culture, community health, stigmaCollaborators
Courtney FitzGerald
Research Scientist
Interests
resilience, youth development, youth/student voice, culture-centered approaches, community-based participatory research, participatory action research, public health surveillance, survey research
