Communications | Penn Today

Welcome to wplace: A chaotic, collaborative digital canvas where users ‘paint the world’

Jessa Lingel of the Annenberg School for Communication says that the long arc of internet history does not bend towards self-regulation or responsibility.

A screenshot of a Replika chatbot screen.

What is real about human-AI relationships?

In a new paper, Annenberg School for Communication doctoral student Arelí Rocha explores how people discuss their relationships with AI chatbots.

2 min. read

Which anti-vaping messages work for LGBTQ+ youth?

To understand how to reduce vaping among LGBTQ+ youth, researchers at Penn’s Annenberg School for Communication spoke to young Americans about anti-vaping messages on social media. They found that sexual and gender minority youth are more likely to vape, but there aren’t many anti-vaping campaigns designed specifically for them.

Project Unloaded empowers Chicago teens to change the narrative on guns and violence through social media

PIK Professor Desmond Patton says that Project Unloaded in Chicago is unique in its campaign-driven efforts to combat gun violence.

Many smokers have misperceptions about nicotine; researchers harness curiosity to correct them

A new study by researchers at the Annenberg School for Communication reveals effective ways to reduce false beliefs about nicotine.

2 min. read

Sarah Usandivaras Klaehn standing outside steps of Fisher Fine Arts building on campus

Merging academics with real-world, tangible experiences

Adding to her experience working for nonprofits, rising fourth-year Sarah Usandivaras Klaehn is a marketing and communications intern for Girls Inc. in Manhattan this summer.

4 min. read

New global media textbook edited by Annenberg’s Juan Llamas-Rodriguez

A new edited collection from Annenberg School for Communication professor Juan Llamas-Rodriguez titled “Media Travels: Toward an Atlas of Global Media” brings readers on a tour of media beyond the typical U.S. canon.

SCIMaP visualizes the true cost of science funding cuts

Postdoc Alyssa Sinclair of the Annenberg School for Communication helped create SCIMap, a visual map highlighting the local impacts of changes to federal science funding.

PBS and NPR are generally unbiased, independent of government propaganda and provide key benefits to U.S. democracy

A 2022 study by the Annenberg School for Communication found that countries with independent and well-funded public broadcasting systems consistently had stronger democracies.

Here is the science of why you doomscroll

Emily Falk of the Annenberg School for Communication writes that, “by making choices based on your goals and values, you’ll influence not just yourself but also those around you.”

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