Investigating how social identity, platform affordances, and technological structures shape the information we encounter, engage with, and act upon.
Michigan State University · Department of Advertising + Public Relations
Investigating how social identity, platform affordances, and technological structures shape the information we encounter, engage with, and act upon.
Understanding communication in an identity-driven information ecosystem.
The ASPECT Lab at Michigan State University investigates how the information we encounter, engage with, and act upon is shaped by internal psychological factors and external technological structures.
Our work draws on computational methods, large-scale data collection, survey research, and experimental design to understand modern communication ecosystems. We are particularly interested in how social identities — political, cultural, and group affiliations — systematically influence the information environments people inhabit.
Central to our work is the Identity Driven Information Ecosystem (IDIE) framework, which highlights how social identities shape not just what information people consume, but the platforms they use, the communities they join, and the content they create.
The people behind the research.
Assistant Professor in the Department of Advertising + Public Relations at Michigan State University. His research explores how variations in technology and affordances shape political communication, with a focus on computational methods and large-scale data collection. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and also holds an M.P.P. from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
Our work spans political communication, platform studies, health communication, and computational social science.
How do the technical features of communication platforms shape what political campaigns say and how they say it? We study content across platforms to understand how structure and users shape political messaging.
Examining systematic biases in how information is produced, distributed, and consumed — from engagement asymmetries on Facebook to negativity biases in news coverage and the effects of press freedom on public responsiveness.
Political identity extends far beyond the ballot box. We study how partisan identities are reflected in music tastes, television consumption, visual imagery, food preferences, and lifestyle choices — and how these cultural signals shape political evaluations.
Investigating how platforms and framing affect engagement with health and science content — from digital wellness misinformation and science influencer polarization to invasive species messaging and environmental advocacy.
Peer-reviewed work from the ASPECT Lab. Full list on Google Scholar.
We're always looking for motivated students interested in our research areas.
The ASPECT Lab welcomes graduate and undergraduate students who are interested in political communication, computational social science, platform studies, and health/science communication.
Graduate students in the lab develop skills in computational research methods including large-scale data collection, content analysis, natural language processing, and statistical modeling. Students also gain experience with survey and experimental research designs.
Undergraduate research assistants contribute to ongoing projects and gain hands-on experience with academic research. Positions are available on a rolling basis.
If you're interested, please reach out directly with a brief description of your research interests and relevant experience.
Latest from the ASPECT Lab.
Dr. Hiaeshutter-Rice presented "Enemies of the (E)state: News, Attacks, and a Free Press" at UCLA's Political Communication & Behavior Lab.
Invited TalkFioroni, Hiaeshutter-Rice, and Ploger presented work on rethinking the impact of "bad press" at the AAPOR annual conference.
ConferenceNew work on news, press attacks, and press freedom presented at the Midwest Political Science Association annual conference in Chicago.
ConferenceInterested in collaborating or joining the lab? We'd love to hear from you.
404 S. Wilson Rd., Room 312
Department of Advertising + Public Relations
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824