Rik Ray
Email: rikray2@illinois.edu
RESEARCH INTERESTS
I am primarily interested in exploring the structure and architecture of social media platforms. My current research agenda focuses on exploring the role of such structural and architectural affordances in matters of Internet policy deliberation and governance, especially in the Global South. More specifically, I have previously looked at how social media platforms shaped net neutrality policy deliberations in India and currently working on a project that examines online partisan misinformation and fact-checking efficacy. I draw insights from a range of disciplinary perspectives including media and communication, computer science, science and technology studies, etc.
Additionally, I take a keen interest in quantitative and computational social science research methods, which has led to collaborations on a diverse range of topics such as public opinion research, opinion polarization, media psychology, science communication, etc.
Recent Publications/Presentations
Ray, R., Bhalla, S., Taneja, H. (2021). Do fact-checkers overcome partisan divides? An investigation of Indian Twitter users. To be presented at the 71st Annual International Communication Association Conference.
Ray, R. (2021). Does SNS platform choice matter? Analyzing perceptions of the U.S-China trade conflict through item-response theory. To be presented at the 71st Annual International Communication Association Conference.
Ha, L., Ray, R., Matanji, F., & Yang, Y. (forthcoming). How News Media Content and Fake News about the Trade War are Shared on Twitter: A Topic Modeling and Content Analysis. In Louisa Ha and Lars Willnat (Ed) The U.S.-China Trade War: War and Peace Journalism in the Digital Age. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press.
Ray, R. & Lu, Y. (forthcoming). U.S. Television news coverage of the trade war: Partisan media vs. non-partisan media. In Louisa Ha and Lars Willnat (Ed) The U.S.-China Trade War: War and Peace Journalism in the Digital Age. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press.
Ha, L., Andreu Perez, L., & Ray, R. (2021). Mapping Recent Development in Scholarship on Fake News and Misinformation, 2008 to 2017: Disciplinary Contribution, Topics, and Impact. American Behavioral Scientist, 65(2), 290–315. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764219869402
Lu, Y., Ray, R., Ha, L., & Chen, P. (2020). Social Media News Consumption and Opinion Polarization on China’s Trade Practices: Evidence from a U.S. National Survey. International Journal Of Communication, 14, 18. Retrieved from https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/12627
Courses Taught
- JOUR 451: Research Methods in Journalism
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