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I’m an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at University of Connecticut, where I study how we communicate via social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X) about news, health, science, and identity.

I have developed graduate and undergraduate courses on social media, and also teach courses on computer-mediated communication, new communication technology, and media effects.

My Fulbright Fellowship at Universität Duisburg-Essen launched my most recent project on algorithmic literacy, which focuses on what social media users know about the algorithms that shape their feeds, with a goal of more transparency through education, design, and policy.

Access my full CV here; permanent link, always up-to-date.

Pappas, S., Oeldorf-Hirsch, A., & Quigley, B. (2026). Is Kamala brat? Counteracting persuasion resistance with authenticity on TikTok. Iowa Journal of Communication, 57(1), 16-36. https://www.iowacommunication.org/journal-archives

Pappas, S., Hughlett, B., & Oeldorf-Hirsch A. (2026, August). “It’s teaching me about myself”: Applying the algorithmic crystal to LGBTQ+ identity discovery and acceptance on social media. Poster to be presented at the 109^th annual conference of the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication (AEJMC), New Orleans, LA.

Suk, J., Holland Levin, S., Steinke, J., Schnitzer, K., Coletti, A., Gilbert, C., & Oeldorf-Hirsch, A. (2026). Trending women in STEM: Visual space-making on TikTok. New Media & Society, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448261433481

Romann, L. R., Oeldorf-Hirsch, A., & Andalibi, N. (2026). The balancing act: User responsibility and platform accountability in the context of mental illness-related content consumption. New Media & Society, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448261435958

Pappas, S., McNamara, Oeldorf-Hirsch A., & Lachlan, K. (2026, April). “(You) should have known the risks”: Gen Z’s perceptions of image-based sexual abuse threats and coping strategies. Paper presented at the annual conference of Central States Communication Association, Minneapolis, MN.

Pappas, S., Oeldorf-Hirsch A., & Quigley, B. (2026, April). Is Kamala brat? Counteracting persuasion resistance with authenticity on TikTok. Paper presented at the annual conference of Central States Communication Association, Minneapolis, MN.

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See all publications on Google Scholar; all presentations on my CV.