Dr. Fashina (Shina) Aladé, March 29, 2024
Assistant Professor in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University
What is authentic representation in children’s educational media?
Abstract: In the last several years, there has been a large increase in the production of STEM-focused educational media for children, as well as a push for more diverse and inclusive programming in this genre. Yet there is little research on how best to meet the challenge of creating STEM media that both authentically represents children from historically marginalized backgrounds and positively impacts their interest in STEM. This talk will showcase several studies that investigate this issue from a variety of methodological frameworks. Findings from a content analysis and field experiment highlight the prevalence of non-human and racially ambiguous characters in children’s STEM television and the importance of children’s parasocial relationships with featured characters. Qualitative interviews grounded in phenomenology highlight the challenges of creating educational television that is culturally authentic and inclusive and shed light on the successes and challenges of these programs from the perspectives of children and parents.
Bio: Fashina (Shina) Aladé, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University. Her work lies at the intersection of media effects, developmental psychology, and early childhood education, with a focus on young children’s comprehension of and learning from educational media. Dr. Aladé is passionate about investigating the ways that media and technology can be used to positively impact the lives of children and families. As a community-engaged scholar, much of her research is conducted in partnership with community organizations, and she often engages in outreach activities, such as professional development workshops for educators and creating tip sheets for children's television producers, to make sure that her research reaches the people who need it most: parents, educators, and children’s media creators.
Dr. Aladé earned her PhD at Northwestern University in Media, Technology, & Society and holds an MA in Communication from the Ohio State University and a BA in Communication from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Joe Walther, Sept. 29, 2023
Distinguished Professor, Bertelsen Presidential Chair in Technology and Society, UC Santa Barbara
Hate Messages on Social Media: A Prosocial Theory of Antisocial Communication
Abstract: Previous research into online hate—racist, religious, anti-immigrant, misogynistic, and similar attacks—assumes it is a product of individual malevolence. A new perspective on online hate situates the propagation of hate messages as networked, socially organized, performative, and motivated to garner social approval in online relationships using social media’s affordances. A number of hypotheses derive from this perspective, with implications for new methods and deleterious extended outcomes.
Dr. Amy Gonzales, Feb. 24, 2023
Building and Maintaining Social Capital Online: The Importance of Digital Access for Marginalized Individuals
Associate Professor Amy Gonzales visited from the University of California - Santa Barbara to discuss her research on digital access for marginalized individuals. Her work advocates for the importance of consistent technological availability particularly in more vulnerable communities. Her research finds that consistent access to technologies such as cell phones and computers is associated with higher social support, more employment opportunities, and better performance in work and school. She also outlined some of the important practical and ethical considerations that guide work of this kind.