Setareh’s research focuses on the ethical and societal byproducts of the infotainment media matrix. To dissect the cohabitation and evolution of humans alongside AI driven media, she focuses on the mutual influence between humans and social media platforms. Her research spans the algorithmic design of these environments and their impact on information dissemination, user fatigue, activism, and the unforeseen affordances of these platforms that affect user engagement and the spectrum of content acceptance and abhorrence. She also probes the shift from the historic serendipitous nature of social interactions to those that are algorithmically dictated. In her current research, she employs computational communication to analyze the linguistic, cognitive, and emotional dynamics of social media discourse within political and social contexts, investigating engagement with sociopolitical content.
With an interdisciplinary background in art and health technology, Setareh explores how the evolution of art and culture within social media platforms influences user engagement and information dissemination. She further investigates the impact of digital echo chambers and polarization on activism fatigue, enhancing understanding of the contemporary anxieties around democracy, media manipulation, and the ways in which knowledge, culture, and identity are produced and contested on digital platforms.
Additionally, her future work will extend to the digital evolution of the collective global culture of media use, focusing on how societal stories are shaped in digital spheres, particularly among diaspora populations and their interactions with media and civic life. She also examines intercultural communication, looking at how these dynamics help less represented populations gain attention during sociopolitical crises. Further, she explores user disorientation, cognitive exhaustion, and cognitive and emotional overload in content comprehension. These studies provide vital insights into the profound cognitive and emotional impacts that social media platforms can have, highlighting their significant role in shaping public discourse and identities in the digital era.
Email: setareh@utexas.edu
EDUCATION HISTORY
Bachelor of Art, Art University of Tehran
Master of Advertising, University of Texas at Austin
PhD Advertising, University of Texas at Austin
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Ethical implications of algorithmic decision-making on civic engagements and its effects on activism fatigue and democratic participation.
Using computational methods to analyze linguistic, cognitive, and emotional dynamics of virality in social media discourse.
Algorithms contribution to the formation of cultural echo chambers and their impact on cultural diversity and exposure.
Psychological and behavioral effects of rapid media consumption cycles on long-term user engagement and content satisfaction.