Digital Media and Communication Research Group
At the Digital Media and Communication (DMC) research 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. If you have any questions, please email Dr. Sun Hong (sunhong@unm.edu).
.
.

2022 DMC Research Group Meeting_© DMC
.
.
Our Research
- Hong, Y., & Hashimoto, M. (2023). I will get myself vaccinated for others: The interplay of message frame, reference point, and perceived risk on intention for COVID-19 vaccine. Health Communication, 38(4), 813-823. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1978668
- Kim, L., Hong, Y., Abrar, S., & FitzGerald, C. A. (2023). Relationships Between Social Media Use, Exposure to Vaccine Misinformation and Online Health Information Seeking Behaviour. Journal of Creative Communications, 18(2), 199-213. https://doi.org/10.1177/09732586231166111
Current Projects
- Identifying Instagram User Profiles: Who Obtains Information about Current Public Issues from Instagram? (Choi, Hong, & Kwon)
- COVID vaccine for children: Understanding the Influence of Media Exposure, Risk Perceptions, and Pro-vaccine Descriptive Norms on COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among Parents of Children Under 12 (Choi, FitzGerald, & Hong)
- Religious Beliefs and Fatalistic Approach to COVID-19 in Pakistan and Bangladesh (Abrar, Choi, Islam, & Hong)
- Examining the Role of Social Media Use for Health in the Relationship Between Perceived Threat of Cancer and Cancer Prevention: A Secondary Analysis of HINTS 2022 Data (Taylor & Hong)
- The Interaction Between Social Media Use and Interpersonal Health Communication in Early Stages of COVID-19 (Taylor, Hong, & Yoo)
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

Moonsun Choi
Ph.D. candidate
Interests
Media/digital literacy, Internet studies, digital citizenship, political communication/activism, Internet-infused education, critical thinking, online participation
Courtney FitzGerald
Ph.D. candidate
Interests
resilience, youth development, youth/student voice, culture-centered approaches, community-based participatory research, participatory action research, public health surveillance, survey researchAlumni
Mika Hashimoto
Research Coordinator, Project ECHO
Hyerin Kwon
Ph.D. student, School of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Sumaira Abrar
Data Analyst II, Accountability & Compliance Bureau, Albuquerque Police Department