Marisa Smith
Bio
Dr. Marisa A. Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Advertising + Public Relations and the School of Journalism. She also holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Political Science.
Her research investigates race and identity in politics, examining how racialized topics are framed in media, how identity is leveraged in politics, and how exposure to these narratives in digital information ecosystems fosters racial identity and attitudes, ultimately influencing political decision-making.
She integrates perspectives from political communication, computational social science, and race and media effects to investigate how race, identity, and power shape political opinions, polarization, and civic engagement. Her research considers the social, historical, and political context of the United States, employing a critical lens to examine how political information in digital environments, including disinformation, impacts democracy.
Her research has been published in Political Communication, Mass Communication and Society, New Media & Society, and Social Media + Society.
Research and Teaching
- Race & Identity
- Digital News
- Social Media
- Disinformation
- Politics
- Computational Social Science
Thematic Research Areas
Computational Communication
Political Communication and Civic Engagement
