Isabelle Freiling

To address social media platforms' influence on academic research, @raffaelheiss.bsky.social and I draw on lessons learned from industry-academy collaborations in other fields. Industry influence can be subtle, so we need policy reforms, plus critical academic debates and clear ethical guidelines.

Religious values and confidence in science: Perceived tensions and common ground While confidence in science is high compared to other institutions, many Americans question whether scientists share their values, including religious ones. Narratives surrounding science and religion...

[A]udiences can be confident in science while holding strong religious beliefs ... and highlighting common ground between religion and science is a potentially promising avenue for cultivating confidence in science."

Somehow missed this important work by @freiling.bsky.social and colleagues ...

It’s really hard to defend industry academic collaborations with meta as earnest, if they’re internally burying evidence of harm.

www.reuters.com/sustainabili...

Reply to González-Bailón and Lazer: Industry control and conflicts of interest in social media research | PNAS Reply to González-Bailón and Lazer: Industry control and conflicts of interest in social media research

This exchange about the Meta election collaboration highlights how industry can manufacture doubt without corrupting scientists or creating any sort of conpsiracy. A small 🧵

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Reply to González-Bailón and Lazer: Industry control and conflicts of interest in social media research | PNAS Reply to González-Bailón and Lazer: Industry control and conflicts of interest in social media research

"[T]he reliance on industry-controlled conceptualization and categorization of data by academic researchers undermines ... peer review and the replicability of what Meta claims are highly policy-relevant findings."

Glad our field is continuing these difficult but important conversations ...

This nicely reinforces findings from our recent @pnas.org piece in which we argue “that industry players like Meta make significant investments into long-term research streams … to absolve their platforms of responsibility for adverse effects on society or individuals.”

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

‘The elephant in the room’ for science communication - @theU Science organizations are ill-prepared to leverage current media landscapes most effectively to communicate with the public. A new article asserts that the struggle is partly...

In @pnas.org, we outline current challenges #scicomm research faces, incl. social media having all the power over data and issues that come with that. @dietram.bsky.social

Press release: attheu.utah.edu/science-tech...
Paper: doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
@uofuhumanities.bsky.social

Resistant and Misinformed: Understanding the Role of Elite Perceptions and Resistance Strategies Against COVID-19 Reporting in Legacy Media in Adopting COVID-19 Misperceptions At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals strongly relied on legacy media for current information. At the same time, parts of the population grew increasingly critical of the evidence ...

ONLINE FIRST & OPEN ACCESS! How did perceptions of elite manipulation influence resistance to COVID-19 reporting and the spread of misinformation? This study by Stubenvoll, @freiling.bsky.social and Matthes examines how audiences in Austria resisted news evidence.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

I'm still in need of reviewers. If you can, please sign up :)

AEJMC Communication Theory & Method Division Reviewer Recruitment Survey Thank you for completing this survey and for your service to CT&M.

Please consider helping the Comm Theory and Methodology division by signing up as a reviewer for #AEJMC25! We need you :) To sign up, please
(1) fill out this survey: tinyurl.com/aejmc25-ctm and
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This week, University of Utah Assistant Professor @freiling.bsky.social will be presenting on "Generative AI, Social Media Algorithms, & Misinformation" at LSC's #scicomm Colloquium.

Join us in person or follow along on X at #UWLSC700

Learn more at: lsc.wisc.edu/2025/01/17/l...

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events tied to SCI and its One-U Responsible AI Initiative! Visit rai.utah.edu/events for details.

@parasharmanish.bsky.social @katakeith.bsky.social @anamarasovic.bsky.social @freiling.bsky.social

💯 -- we discuss issues this creates for #scicomm in our forthcoming PNAS piece. Pre-publication version is accessible here: osf.io/preprints/so...
@dietram.bsky.social

Recent Jobs - International Communication Association View jobs available on International Communication Association. Search for and apply to open jobs from International Communication Association.

My department at the University of Utah is hiring a teaching position (3/3 load; no research expectations) in strategic communication. Great department and SLC is an underrated place to live. I'm on the search committee and am happy to answer questions. Info here: careers.icahdq.org/jobs/view/as...

Given the differing results among those groups, we need more studies using samples with enough power to examine minority groups as well.

We also found other differences between White, Black, and Hispanic Americans, using "a probability sample of American adults that includes oversampling of two hardly reached populations, Black and Hispanic Americans," in this study, led by Sara K. Yeo.

Understanding Knowledge Among White, Black, and Hispanic Audiences: Media Attention and Inequities in Factual and Perceived Knowledge There is a normative assumption that a knowledgeable populace can make informed civic decisions that are central to the well-being of society. Yet, access to knowledge is not equitable. Using the c...

Socioeconomic status positively predicted factual science knowledge among White, Black, and Hispanic Americans, "but was only positively associated with perceived knowledge among White respondents." (🧵) #scicomm
doi.org/10.1080/1520...

"Settling for circumstances in which researchers are unable to provide the scientific community and its institutions a reliable evidence base to drive effective science communication strategies in modern information environments is simply not an option."

"[W]e need [good faith collaboration] across industry and academia, if we hope to resolve issues of data control, COIs, and transparency that currently hinder the emergence of transparent research and robust scientific consensus."

What (social) science cannot see

Our inability to reliably study algorithmic info ecosystems, and why it matters for #scicomm. Pre-publication version of our forthcoming PNAS piece led by Nicky Krause and Isabelle Freiling : osf.io/preprints/so... (a 🧵)

congrats, kaiping 🥳🥳🥳

Opinion | The MAGA Science Agenda Reveals America’s Future If there’s a thread tying this coalition together, it’s suspicion of expertise and elitism.

"[Any approach] that dismisses rather than speaks to the concerns that have driven so many Americans away from the expert establishment and toward a figure such as Mr. Kennedy will surely fail."

#scicomm #scipol

Thinking about going to #gradschool and interested in science communication and #AI? I am looking to fund a grad student to work with me on that next year. Apply to our program here (DL: Dec 1): communication.utah.edu/graduate/ind...
#scicomm

Majorities in most countries surveyed say social media is good for democracy Across 27 countries surveyed, people generally see social media as more of a good thing than a bad thing for democracy.

Social media users are significantly more likely than non-users to say that social media has benefitted democracy in their country. In every country surveyed, there is a difference of at least 10 points between users and non-users on this question. pewrsr.ch/3wmCmqe

"Assuming passions are immutable and essential—rather than something to cultivate and build—can cause people to be less open to different topics ... and less creative when problem-solving."

Probably one of the best pieces of advice for new grad students ...