Author Archives: ryanstoldt

31 Horror Movies More People Should See This October

There are plenty of horror movie lists out there that will tell you to watch The Shining, Friday the 13th, and Halloween. You should. They’re classics. You don’t need a list to tell you about the classics though. Here are 31 horror movies that you’re less likely to have heard about or seen. Watch oneContinue reading “31 Horror Movies More People Should See This October”

“Algorithmic Personalization and Online Radicalization” Research Group Awarded $1 Million+ Grant from U.S. Dept. of Defense

The United States Dept. of Defense awarded Ryan’s research group $1.1 million to pursue research exploring how and why some people adopt extreme political and cultural views online. Ryan will be working on the grant as the research assistant for the 2020-2021 academic school year.

Online Office Hours

Times are pretty wild right now, but it remains critically important to continue to support our communities. As an academic, that support needs to carry over to our students and peers. I’ll be hosting online office hours on Zoom every Tuesday at 3pm CST for the next weeks to try and support those communities. These open office hours are meant to provide a space for collaboration. I’m happy to offer feedback to students working on projects for school, other academics who are thinking through research ideas, and creatives who are working on all sorts of video projects.

New Article: Ethics of Authenticity: Social Media Influencers and the Production of Sponsored Content

The Journal of Media Ethics published Ryan and his co-author’s new article, “Ethics of Authenticity: Social Media Influencers and the Production of Sponsored Content.” Influencers consider ethics through their relationship with their audience and their personal brand. The article argues that influencers believe it’s ethically okay to produce sponsored content if the content is authentic to both their brand and their audience.

Center For Teaching Fellowship

I’m honored to announce that I was selected as one of four 2019-2020 Graduate Teaching Fellows at the Center for Teaching at the University of Iowa. Graduate Teaching Fellows engage in a year of research and praxis on teaching. I’ll be developing an online workshop about universal design for learning in online contexts for faculty andContinue reading “Center For Teaching Fellowship”

New Article: Grandma or Mommy: Familial Labels as Constructs of Identity in Grandfamilies

As a master’s student, Dr. Jessica Freeman asked me to help her transcribe interviews on research she was working on around grandparents raising grandchildren, or grandfamilies. Transcribing was an entirely new experience since I was new to research, so it gave me a great opportunity to dive into the world of interview methodology. After transcribingContinue reading “New Article: Grandma or Mommy: Familial Labels as Constructs of Identity in Grandfamilies”

Summer 2019 Reading List

As usual, I’ve given myself a pretty strict reading schedule for this summer. I’ll be working through these, a chapter a day, while working on my dissertation proposal, working on journal articles, and managing the Journal of Communication Inquiry. Here’s what I’m planning to get through this summer: Millennial Monsters by Anne Allison Modernity at LargeContinue reading “Summer 2019 Reading List”

New Article: How Travel Influencers Work With Destination Marketing Brands

My article “Professionalizing and Profiting: The Rise of Intermediaries in the Social Media Influencer Industry” was published last month in Social Media and Society. This study examines the relationship between travel influencers (e.g., bloggers and social media personalities) and destination marketers within the changing travel and tourism industry. Through in-depth interviews, observations, and document analysis,Continue reading “New Article: How Travel Influencers Work With Destination Marketing Brands”