Faculty Spotlight

Dr. Joel Penney came to the School of Communication and Media when it was still in its infancy at Montclair State University almost five years ago. The opportunity to take part in the creation and development of the school was appealing to Penney. For example, Penney’s New Media and Participatory Culture class he teaches frequently had never been taught before at Montclair State. 

“I had the chance to design this class from the ground up and figure how to help our curriculum move into the digital age,” Dr. Penney noted. “Getting the school off of the ground has been such an exciting experience, and it has been very rewarding to see our plans come to fruition.”

In his New Media and Participatory Culture class, Penney and his class focus on the world of social media and consider a wide range of issues, from the strategic use of social media platforms for marketing and political advocacy, to its effects on interpersonal relationships and individual identity, to concerns around privacy, copyright and ownership. Often, Penney will introduce his students to a range of social theories that go beyond the scope of new media technologies.

“One of the key lessons I hope to instill in my students is that there are many important social, political and cultural factors that shape the use of new technology,” Dr. Penney explained. “Often, students come in with a great amount of knowledge about internet culture and the latest social media trends, but what I try to do is help them put this phenomenon into a greater social context and consider the broader consequences.”

Perhaps no one at Montclair State is better suited to educate students on this topic than Penney, considering his background and areas of study. Since obtaining his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania by focusing on the critical and cultural studies of media, specifically the political aspects of popular culture, Penney has focused his research in the last several years on political uses of social media, particularly by what he describes as “everyday people.” He is particularly interested in how the internet becomes a tool of grassroots politics to spread influence and raise awareness.

“I’ve conducted a handful of studies where I interview people about posting content on their social media feeds and ask them about their motivations for engaging in these practices,” explained Dr. Penney. “Usually, this kind of activity is mocked as ‘slacktivism’ and it’s assumed people post about their politics simply to create a desirable self-image.”

Dr. Penney’s research suggests there is more going on, however. “My interview research suggests many people are at least hopeful that they can help change the world by engaging in social media activism,” Dr. Penney said. “The way I understand it is that everyday citizens are now becoming active participants in political marketing through the use of interactive technologies.”

Dr. Penney expands on his research in the book he is currently working on called “The Citizen Marketer,” which is about how active citizenship and participation in politics is becoming integrated with participation in viral marketing campaigns and how this creates opportunities for democratizing the ‘marketplace of ideas.’ He also talks about the current presidential election in terms of social media in the book.

“For example, the online grassroots energy around Bernie Sanders, including hashtags efforts like ‘Feel the Bern,’ is a great example of how citizens promote their favorite politicians to their peers in a similar way to how fans of musicians or TV shows contribute to word-of-mouth,” Dr. Penney expounded. “On the other hand, Donald Trump’s command of Twitter is an example of how social media can be harnessed for top-down political communication, in the same way politicians in the past have seized radio and television to reach out to voters.”

After five years of educating students on the social, political and cultural factors of social media, including advising Montclair State’s undergraduate communication honors society Lamda Pi Eta, where he helps organize symposiums to spotlight the best scholarly work of communication students, Dr. Joel Penney is impressed with the progress the School of Communication and Media has made.

“We’re now in year four of the School and it’s been great to see how far we’ve come, and I’m excited to see what work we still have left to do.”