Culture and Identity

This area addresses how culture and identity affect and are constructed through human communication. Cultures can be examined from a variety of perspectives: global, national, community, group, and individual, and includes language, symbols, meanings, activities, and practices in everyday life. Interpersonal communication, organizational processes, media production, computer-mediated communication, technology adoption, and scientific communication are a few examples of the domains of cultural influence. Methodological approaches to the study of culture and identity include qualitative and quantitative, textual, laboratory based, and in situ (or “real life").

Recent projects include:

• Cultural influences on science communication
• How technology allows or limits the expression of identity
• The influence of cultural and social norms and on the use of everyday communication technologies
• The influence of new technology on cultural norms and practices and on developing identities
• Social norms’ influence on environmental actions
• The capitalization of gender and sexuality in global media flows
• International, interpersonal, and intrapersonal computer-mediated communication
• The influence of culture and identity on the development of network ties and on conflict resolution