Role of communication media in civic and political engagement
Nojin Kwak (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison) is a professor in the Department of Communication at the University at Buffalo (UB), State University of New York. In addition, he currently serves as Vice Provost for International Education at UB. Dr. Kwak’s research centers on the role of communication media – social media, mobile telephony, and other digital platforms—in civic and political engagement. His work has appeared in leading publications in the field, including Communication Research, Journal of Communication, Human Communication Research, Political Communication, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, New Media and Society, Political Research Quarterly, and Asian Journal of Communication and received numerous top paper awards at major conferences. His recent studies analyze the patterns of social media use and their influence on community involvement, deliberative openness, political persuasion, and political participation. Previously, Dr. Kwak served as professor and chair of the Department of Communication and Media and director of the Nam center for Korean studies at the University of Michigan.