Maria D. Molina

Maria Molina

Assistant Professor

Department
  • Advertising + Public Relations
molinad2@msu.edu
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Bio

Maria D. Molina is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Advertising & Public Relations. She received her PhD in Mass Communications from Penn State University.

Maria studies online persuasion in the context of digital health, fake news, and online privacy using a combination of experimental and computational approaches. Currently, her research is centered around three main areas: 1) the role played by technological affordances in motivating positive, socially beneficial behaviors, 2) the role played by technological affordances in promoting the sharing of negative content, and 3) user responses to AI tools that act as sources of communication (e.g., filter user-generated content, create content on behalf of the user). 

Research and Teaching

  • Sharing Online
  • Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction
  • AI-Human Interaction
  • Media Effects
  • Social Media
  • Digital Health
  • Fake News
Thematic Research Areas
Research Centers and Labs

Health and Risk Communication Center

Related Work

Photo of Evan Perrault. Text reads: Innovation, Insights, and Community Connection
Serving communities: key takeaways from 2024 HRCC Day of Innovation and Insights, Bettinghaus Endowed Lecture
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Recent Publications

Meshi, D., & Molina, M.D. (2025). Problematic social media use is associated with believing in and engaging with fake news. PLoS One. (2023 Impact Score: 3.33, Quartile 1 Multidisciplinary)

Molina, M. D. (2025). Do people believe in misleading information disseminated via memes? The role of identity and anger. New Media & Society, 27 (2), 847-870. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231186061 (2023 Impact Score: 6.55, Quartile 1 Communication)

Molina, F., Molina, M. D., & Molina, C. (2025). Motivating learning through digital apps: The importance of relatedness satisfaction. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 41 (1) 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2022.2097777 (2023 Impact Score: 5.86, Quartile 2 Human-Computer Interaction, Quartile 1 Human Factors and Ergonomics)

Molina, M. D. & Sundar, S.S. (2024). Does distrust in humans predict greater trust in AI? Role of individual differences in user responses to content moderation. New Media & Society, 26(6), 3638–3656. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221103534  (2023 Impact Score: 4.5, Quartile 1 Communication)

 

 

 

 

Contact Information

Email: molinad2@msu.edu

404 Wilson Rd, Room 330
Communication Arts and Sciences Building
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824