Research

In this blog post, Lamia Zia grapples with the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, especially in Washington, D.C. 

Zia works to answer questions such as, "What does sub human–machine collaboration actually look like? How does this partnership between humans and technology take form beyond theory and imagination? From human–machine relations to international relations, how will this emerging partnership between humans and intelligent systems reshape the theory and practice of diplomacy, negotiation, mediation, and global dialogue? Will this partnership deepen cross-border understanding, or will it risk reducing the subtle art of diplomacy to a mere exchange of data, algorithms, and calculated logic?"

She argues that robots might mediate disputes over resources or climate policy with impartial accuracy, while humans interpret the emotional undercurrents, the trust, hesitation, and hope that no algorithm can fully quantify. 

Rhetorica Rising introduces a range of feminist rhetorical methods and methodologies that can help us understand social justice movements, past and present.

The collection highlights how the field of rhetorical studies has evolved over the past decade, taking up the challenge of creating intersectional feminist scholarship that engages with BlPOC histories and rhetorics, decolonial rhetorics, digital studies, disability studies, queer studies, transnational studies, and discourses regarding reproductive justice.

Be sure to check out the chapter, "What Should We Ask? Feminist Methodological Inquiries into Commemoration," by Dr. Carly Woods (Communication) and Dr. Jessica Enoch (English)! The book was edited by Eileen E. Schell, K.J. Rawson, Curtis J. Jewell, Abigail H. Long, Sidney Turner, and Gabriella Wilson.

Omoleye Adeyemi recently published a book review of Black Networked Resistance: Strategic Rearticulations in the Digital Age by Raven Maragh-Lloyd. Adeyemi explains that Black Networked Resistance explores the use of rearticulation to amplify the methods utilized by Black individuals against white power structures. This book enables readers to conceptualize the factors of media that we engage with and how those factors are rearticulations of past concepts that have been used. 

Adeyemi's review was published in Communication and Race. 

Lamia Zia's new blog post for the USC Center on Public Diplomacy explores the power of public sphere through a reflection on espresso and cafes. Zia discusses coffee's diplomatic power and how it operates as an ambassador of culture in this intriguing read!

As Digital Cultures becomes the dominant term used by many across a variety of intellectual fields to describe the social, aesthetic, and political impact of digital media, it is necessary to provide a reference volume that specifies and defines the bounds of scholarly debates and curricular outlines for an otherwise amorphous interdisciplinary space.

This handbook provides a comprehensive reference for the varied methodologies, historical frames, and theoretical perspectives essential for the study of Digital Cultures today. In outlining these foundations, it serves as a practical guide for educators and students into the broad range of perspectives grouped together for the critical, historical, and social scientific study of digital media.

It also looks into the future and outlines an agenda for future research by examining not only the origins of the concept of Digital Culture, but emerging topics and themes still in development, such as the relation between digital technology and climate change, artificial intelligence and knowledge, sensation and aesthetics, and the rise of new infrastructures reinventing not only the built environment, but the boundaries of nations and sovereignty.

• The first handbook to provide the historical, theoretical, and methodological foundations for the study of Digital Culture
• Contributions by leading scholars in the field
• Discusses emerging themes and areas of research 

With the rapid advancements in technology over the past 2 decades, it has become crucial to understand people’s attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI) adoption and its associated risks. Given the increasing access to the AI technologies, it is imperative to examine how young people in non-Western societies like Pakistan perceive AI risks and benefits. We conducted an online survey of 435 college students who had used AI technology in the past 6 months. The results of our study indicate that the majority of college students view AI technology positively and perceive it as an opportunity to enhance workplace productivity. In addition, most of the respondents are optimistic about the future applications of AI in their individual lives and society. This research contributes to the literature on how college students in Pakistan perceive AI in their daily lives and offer implications for future scholars interested in studying AI technology use in non-Western countries.

The work of Brazilian Black feminist Lélia Gonzalez challenges ideas of Latin America that privilege Europeanness by reimagining it as Améfrica Ladina. In this brief essay, I delve into Gonzalez’s interconnected concepts of amerifricanidade (Amefricanity) and Améfrica Ladina. Both notions defy Latinidad’s epistemological hegemony in rhetoric and communication studies at large by centering the colonial struggles and resulting knowledge of Indigenous people and Amefricans in the region. Lélia Gonzalez’s legacy could transform scholarship that invokes Latinidad, encouraging scholars to embrace instead our ladinidad as a vital step toward decolonizing the discipline.

Ghana’s lithium deal with Barari DV in 2023 sparked discussions among various stakeholders. The “sticky” nature of the agreement revived political conversations across many online platforms. Dr. Nana Kwame Osei Fordjour, Inusah Mohammed, and Anani Yao Kuwornu examined how users engaged in online discussions about the agreement through the lenses of deliberative discourses and incivility for Communicatio: “Uncivil Discourses, Online Comments, and Politics: A Case Study of Discussions Surrounding Ghana’s Lithium Deal.” 

Their research highlights the potential influence of online forums on shaping political dialogue and democratic participation in Africa, revealing both their strengths and drawbacks. 

Sahar Khamis discusses the complex and evolving role of digital and social media, particularly within the Arab and Muslim world with host John Pinna. They explore the concept of social media as a “double-edged sword,” discussing its initial promise as a tool for liberation during events like the Arab Spring and its subsequent co-opting by authoritarian regimes for repression and control. 

Listen to Sahar Khamis on “Crossing Faiths”

Studies on strategic visual political communication on social media have taken various cultural turns globally. This chapter uses a visual rhetorical approach to analyze 277 photographs of the President of Ghana’s Facebook page (H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo) after he was sworn into office in 2021. Considering the thematic, conceptual, and thought-provoking implications of visual rhetoric, the findings indicated that the President of Ghana constructed national images of Ghana’s rich cultural heritage, its decorous political sphere, Ghana’s security preparedness, as well as its commitment to ethics, legal, and moral uprightness. The chapter discusses the finding’s broader implications for strategic communication and argues that visual rhetoric contributes to the praxis of strategic political communication.