Research that's Changing the World
Talia Stroud’s research has changed the way academics, industry and policymakers understand the role of social media in democracy. She co-led an unprecedented collaboration with Meta (Facebook and Instagram) that revealed that while algorithms strongly influence the content people see on their social media feeds, it did not affect their political behaviors, at least in the short term, around the 2020 presidential election. Stroud’s efforts also set a new standard for researchers investigating social media and media effects and have changed the conversation about how and why data is shared for academic study.
What Starts Here
Stroud is a professor in the Department of Communication Studies and the School of Journalism and Media at the Moody College of Communication. She is the founding and current director of the Center for Media Engagement, a first-of-its-kind center that conducts original research alongside newsrooms, social media platforms and organizations looking to influence media practices for the benefit of democracy. Stroud also holds the E.M. “Ted” Dealey Professorship in Business Journalism.
Beyond the Forty Acres
John Sands, Senior Director, The Knight Foundation: "Talia Stroud is a pathbreaking scholar whose research is shedding light on the complex relationship between media, information, and democracy. She is among the brightest stars in academia today because she fearlessly challenges conventional wisdom with evidence, and in doing so is defining the contours of an emerging field of knowledge and practice that benefits us all."
