Montclair Social Media Research Studies Again Reach Global Audience in ’23-24 Academic Year
Posted in: School of Communication and Media News
*Faculty, staff and students collaborated on 10 projects, up from seven in ’22-23*
During the ’23-24 academic year, researchers from the Joetta DiBella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University conducted 10 social media data analytics studies. Similar to when the Center formally launched during the ’22-23 Academic Year, hundreds of millions of people around the globe consumed earned media content about the studies, which this time included stories about power couple Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, negative sentiment by Gen Z around the 2024 Presidential Race, and a follow up to the Center’s first study on the cultural phenomenon of pumpkin spice.
A research team comprised of faculty, staff and graduate students authored the studies, and faculty members Dr. Jin-A Choi, Dr. Yi Luo and Dr. Bond Benton frequently spoke to the media about the studies. This content led to hundreds of millions of worldwide earned media impressions, with a potential reach approaching one billion. Outlets that covered the Center’s studies included NBC New York, CBS News, Associated Press, Reuters, Yahoo, Rolling Stone, Chicago Tribune, U.S News and World Report, Orange County Register, PR Week and Medium. Content also appeared in outlets in Seattle, Salt Lake City, Chattanooga and other Top 100 markets in the U.S., while stories also appeared in outlets in India, China, Canada and others.
In addition, as of July 2024, 334 organizations (universities, companies and government organizations) from 82 countries downloaded the studies more than 2,700 times via the Digital Commons platform.
The ten studies were: Sadness and Disgust over SCOTUS Rulings (July 2023), 20th Anniversary and Cultural Phenomenon of Pumpkin Spice (September 2023), Swift-Kelce Relationship Drives Spike in Social Media Conversation During Sunday Night Football, (October 2023), Barbie Dominates Social Media Chatter about Halloween Costumes (October 2023),
“Pizzagate” Posts on X Spike Dramatically After Conspiracy Theory Boosted (November 2023), Social Media Data Suggests Taylor Swift Will Help Set Super Bowl Viewing Record (February 2024), Valentine’s Day Retail and Gift Giving Trends (February 2024), Iconic Beer Brand Guinness Dominates the Brand Discussion Around St. Patrick’s Day (March 2024), Negative Emotions on Social Media Dominate Gen Z Presidential Election Discussion (May 2024), and Pride Month and LGBTQ Branding Backlash Driven Largely by QAnon and Popular Extremists (June 2024).
The studies were led by faculty members Dr. Jin-A Choi, Dr. Yi Luo and Dr. Bond Benton with assistance from Dr. Keith Strudler, Professor Keith Green and graduate student Gabrielle Meyer.
Media members with questions or to interview one of the authors of the studies should contact Keith Green, School of Communication and Media at greenk@montclair.edu or 973-655-3701.