I am excited to share a framework for studying social media that I have written along with Jeff Treem, Casey Pierce, and Diana Biffl. In this article titled, ““What We Are Talking About When We Talk About Social Media: A Framework for Study,” we review various definitions of social media and note that much of the confusion regarding social media comes from conflation between social media types, platforms, and activities. To facilitate investigations of social media, we debunk common social media myths and review the relationship between social media and several prominent sociological concerns. We conclude by reflecting on directions for future research on social media. I hope you enjoy the read!

I partnered with colleagues in departments of Kinesiology and Health Education and Communication Studies at the University of Texas to explore wearable fitness devices from a communication perspective. Although studies have investigated how the technical features of wearable fitness trackers promote physical activity, we understand less about how communication surrounding such devices may contribute to their success. Our findings, which you can read here, show how and with whom people communicate fitness tracker messages and explains the effects of sociomaterial practice on interactions between wearable fitness device users.