Research into online communities, gender in G-rated films, the role of mobile communication in developing countries and the evolution of community identity within groups of recent immigrants were among the topics explored by USC Annenberg researchers at the 58th annual conference of the International Communication Association, held May 22-26 in Montreal. In all, 13 USC Annenberg faculty, 34 doctoral students or recent graduates, and four postdoctoral researchers and research fellows will share research through paper presentations, chair discussions and respondent talks during the annual gathering of the world’s leading communication scholars.

Among the sessions involving USC Annenberg scholars were:

• Communication school director and ICA Fellow Larry Gross reflected on his insights, expectations, and concerns about the future of communication, as part of a traditional ICA program honoring new Fellows of the Association.
• A discussion on methods to integrate communication scholarship more closely with public policy featuring doctoral candidate Russell Newman and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) 
• A session chaired by Sandra Ball-Rokeach, communication professor and associate dean for faculty affairs, examining USC Annenberg’s Metamorphosis project, which tracks the evolution of intergroup relations between new Latino and African American residents in South Los Angeles.
• A panel discussion on the fundamental processes that guide the formation and development of online communities, featuring paper presentations by communication professors Janet Fulk and Peter Monge and doctoral candidates Matthew Scott Weber and Cuihua Shen.

USC Annenberg chairs, respondents, presenters and participants included:

School of Communication director Larry Gross gave a talk titled “From Cultivation to Participation: Rethinking Media and Culture,” as part of the New ICA Fellows Forum on Communication.

Sandra Ball-Rokeach , communication professor and associate dean for faculty affairs, chaired the discussion on Metamorphosis, titled “Bridging Divides to Develop Community: Investigating Intergroup Relations Among Urban Residents,” in which she also is a co-author of the presented paper “Intergroup Interaction.” She is also co-author of a paper titled “The Role of Family Interaction in New Immigrant Latinos’ Civic Engagement,” which will be presented during the session “Family, Gender, and Race.”

Communication professor Sarah Banet-Weiser presented “'Hip-Hop Philanthropy': The Red Campaign and Social Impact” in a session titled “Commodity Activism: A Cross-Divisional Roundtable.” She is also a respondent in the discussion “Mobile Phones, Social Spaces, and Technology Appropriation in Low-Income Communities and the Developing World”

Communication professor François Bar gave a paper called “Mobile Technology Appropriation and Innovation: Learning From the Edges” in a session on global communication and social change.

Michael Cody , communication professor and editor of ICA’s Journal of Communication, chaired two discussions: “Deception and Trustworthiness” and “Is Entertainment Better Information? Wrapping Health Messages With a Smile: The Potential of Entertainment-Education Programs for Children and Adolescents.” He was also a presenting co-author of the paper “Individual Differences in the Communication of Romantic Interest: Development of the Flirting Styles Questionnaire” during the session “Measurement, Methods, and Interpersonal Communication Research,” and the paper “Beauty and the Flirt: Attractiveness and Approaches to Relationship Initiation” during “Accommodation and Attraction.” Cody was also a respondent during the “Deception and Trustworthiness” session.

During the Organizational Communication poster session, communication professor Janet Fulk presented “Motivation to Cooperate in Transactive Memory Systems: The Role of Communication Ties and Task Interdependence,” which she co-authored with communication professor Peter Monge. She also presented two co-authored papers at the session titled “The Emergence and Growth of Online Communities in Theory and Practice”: “The Evolution of Online Communities: A Structural Perspective” and “Ecological Dynamics of Online Communities”

Communication professor Kwan Min Lee is co-author of the paper “Effects of Interactivity in Serious Educational Games,” which was presented during the talk titled “Learning Effects of Interactive Media.”

Communication professor Margaret McLaughlin co-authored the paper “Effects of Role Enactment on the Management of Self-Concept and Physical Distance in Virtual Reality Environments,” which will also be discussed at the “Learning  Effects of Interactive Media” discussion.

Peter Monge , communication professor and chair of ICA Fellows, chaired two sessions featuring reflections by newly minted Fellows of the Association. He is also author or co-author of six papers for presentation, including “The Flow of Digital News in a Network of Authorities, Hubs, and Providers” (presented at the session “Flowing Information, Cascading Viewership”) and “The Evolution of Online Community Networks” (given at the session “The Emergence and Growth of Online Communities in Theory and Practice”).

Communication professor Sheila Murphy is a co-author on two papers: “Jasoos Vijay: Solving Mysteries and Asking Questions in India,” to be presented at the session titled “Social Impact of Drama for Development: Understanding the Relationship Between Audience Research, Dramatic Elements and Evidence of Impact,” and “The Role of Exposure to and Trust in Media in Determining Health Beliefs and Behaviors,” presented at the session titled “High Density: Media Influences on Health.”

Stacy Smith , whose work on gender inequity in entertainment aimed at children has earned recognition from the Screen Actors Guild and other Hollywood power players, serves as lead author of a paper titled “Assessing Gender-Related Portrayals in Top-Grossing G-Rated Films” in a session on gender issues in the media.

Communication professor Allison Trope explored the role of celebrity in a paper presentation titled “Cause-Celeb: Angelina Jolie as Celebrity Missionary” during the session “Commodity Activism: A Cross-Divisional Roundtable.”

Communication professor Dmitri Williams chaired a discussion on the nature of video game violence and addiction.

USC Annenberg doctoral students taking part in presentations included Amelia Arsenault, Joyee Chatterjee, Christopher Anthony Chavez, Marc Choueiti, Jae Eun Chung, Lauren Frank, Carmen Gonzalez, Amy Granados, Bettina Heiss, Charlotte Lapsansky, Drew Margolin, Evelyn Moreno, Eleanor Morrison, Yujung Nam, Russell Newman, Joe Jin Phua, Laura Louise Portwood-Stacer, Shawn Powers, Rabinda Ratan, D. Travers Scott, Nupur Sen, Janel Schuh, Nicole Usher, Hua Wang, Matthew Scott Weber and Li Xiong.

Recent USC Annenberg alumni attending included Grace Jackson (B.A. Communication ’08), Vikki Katz (Ph.D. Communication ’08), Ganna Kostygina (Ph.D. Communication ’08), Seungyoon Lee (Ph.D. Communication ’08), Katherine Pieper (Ph.D. Communication ’07), Araba Sey (Ph.D. Communication ’08) and Cara Wallis (Ph.D. Communication ’08).

Other USC Annenberg-affiliated attendees include postdoctoral research associates Patricia Lange and Laura Robinson and Center on Public Diplomacy Fellows John Robert Kelley and Craig Hayden.

Conference information
Conference program (PDF)
International Communication Association