SMART Lab, Scripps College of Communication

SMART Lab, Scripps College of Communication The official page of Social Media Analytics Research Team (SMART) Lab, Scripps College OU

The aim of the SMART Lab is to provide innovative spaces for research collaborations across disciplines. Furthermore, the lab provides the technical support necessary for students, faculty, and staff to conduct analytics research. The mission of SMART Lab is to promote advanced research and analyses on the emerging big data challenges, through academic collaboration, industry-academia linkages, an

d innovation. The Social Media Analytics Research Team (SMART) Lab is an initiative of Ohio University’s Scripps College of Communication, to foster and advance research in social media analytics. The SMART Lab offers quality education and training in data sciences and communication, providing an opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students to hone their technical and creative skills with analytics especially in the context of social media. The SMART Lab serves as an innovative and creative space for undergraduate and graduate students, and faculty to undertake cutting-edge research that helps better understand contemporary issues using data tools.

Congratulations to SMART Lab members Nikhil Reddy Kondam and Sonali Jha on the publication of their new paper, “Producti...
08/28/2026

Congratulations to SMART Lab members Nikhil Reddy Kondam and Sonali Jha on the publication of their new paper, “Productivity narratives and the marginalization of ethics: a content analysis of academic influencer discourse on AI tools on Instagram,” in Online Media and Global Communication (De Gruyter)!

Their study analyzes 164 AI-focused posts from academic influencers on Instagram, examining how these creators frame AI tools as essential productivity companions, while ethical considerations like authorship, originality, and academic integrity receive only minimal attention. The work highlights how productivity narratives can quietly displace ethical reflection in the informal educational spaces where many students and educators first encounter guidance on AI adoption.

Special thanks to SMART Lab Director Dr. Laeeq Khan, whose mentorship and guidance as Nikhil’s advisor helped make this work possible.

A timely and important contribution to conversations around AI, ethics, and academia.

Instagram InfluencerMarketing ContentAnalysis NewPublication

:🎉 Please join us in welcoming Zoya Fateh Muhammad to !Zoya is a PhD student in Educational Leadership at the Patton Co...
08/25/2026

:

🎉 Please join us in welcoming Zoya Fateh Muhammad to !

Zoya is a PhD student in Educational Leadership at the Patton College of Education, bringing a passion for understanding how digital platforms shape learning beyond the classroom. Her research dives into how YouTube, TikTok, and other digital media platforms influence informal learning and educational equity — especially in rural and low-resource communities.

We’re excited to see the insights she brings to the lab! 💚

Welcome aboard, Zoya! 👋

DigitalLearning EdTech EducationalEquity PattonCollegeOfEducation ScrippsCollegeOfCommunication OhioUniversity GradSchool ResearchLife

Excited to share Ohio University’s new graduate program — the Master of Arts in Media Transformation and Innovation! 🎓Th...
08/24/2026

Excited to share Ohio University’s new graduate program — the Master of Arts in Media Transformation and Innovation! 🎓

This program equips students with the creative, analytical, and ethical skills needed to lead the next wave of media innovation, covering:
🧠 AI & Ethics
📊 Data Storytelling
🎥 Media Production

Offered by the School of Media Arts & Studies, Scripps College of Communication, Ohio University.

Create. Analyze. Innovate. — Explore the future of media education. 🌍✨

SmartLab

Data speaks. We listen, analyze, and create impact. 🎯
08/15/2026

Data speaks. We listen, analyze, and create impact. 🎯

08/11/2026

New program, years in the making.

The MA in Media Transformation and Innovation is now live at the School of Media Arts & Studies, Ohio University.

It began with a question: what should a media master’s degree look like for students entering an industry being rebuilt by AI, analytics, and constant platform change? Months of research, drafting, and rethinking later, the program is now live.

This program adds something new to an eclectic mix of offerings at Scripps, sitting alongside our strengths in production, journalism, communication, and emerging technologies. https://www.ohio.edu/scripps-college/media-arts-studies/graduate/masters

08/07/2026

Dr Zulfia and Dr Imran (alumni) present their research: The relational ecosystem framework for AI governance in public relations

08/07/2026

Presenting this morning at AEJMC 2026.
Maryam Lasisi Mustapha, journalism PhD student at Ohio University and member, on “Users’ Engagement with Online News: Analyzing Users’ Comments on YouTube Videos of Nigeria’s EndBadGovernance Protest.”
Newspaper and Online News Division
9:45 to 11:00 a.m. |

Happening this morning at 2026.Maryam Lasisi Mustapha (PHD Candidate, JRN and member) presents “Users’ Engagement wi...
08/07/2026

Happening this morning at 2026.

Maryam Lasisi Mustapha (PHD Candidate, JRN and member) presents “Users’ Engagement with Online News: Analyzing Users’ Comments on YouTube Videos of Nigeria’s Protest.”

Newspaper and Online News Division, High-Density Refereed Research Paper Session: Journalists, Influencers & Audiences.

9:45 to 11:00 a.m. | Salon C, 3rd floor

Maryam’s work examines how audiences use news comment sections to make sense of protest coverage, an area where most research still centers on Western platforms and Western protest movements. Bringing Nigerian political discourse into that conversation matters.

If you’re at the conference, go hear it.



Ohio University Scripps College of Communication

08/06/2026

SMART Lab alumni, recognized at AEJMC.
Congratulations to Dr. Zulfia Zaher (Central Michigan University) and Dr. Imran Mazid (Grand Valley State University) on receiving a Great Ideas For Teaching (GIFT) Award from the Public Relations Division at AEJMC 2026.

Their module, “Teaching Prompt Engineering in Public Relations: A Class-Tested AI Module for Strategic Message Design,” gives instructors a tested approach to teaching generative AI in strategic communication.
Both are part of as external research team members.

📍 New Orleans, LA

Congratulations to Chyntemir Kalbaev, recipient of the Carolyn Stroman Award from the AEJMC Minorities and Communication...
08/06/2026

Congratulations to Chyntemir Kalbaev, recipient of the Carolyn Stroman Award from the AEJMC Minorities and Communication Division.

The Stroman Award recognizes graduate students presenting with the division for the first time and includes complimentary MACD membership. Temir led “Who Gets to Be American?”, our study of audience responses to the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, presented in the Scholar-to-Scholar session this week.

Well earned.


Temir is a graduate of Communication and Development Studies at Ohio University

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Athens, OH
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