💡Research Spotlight💡 Recent HCR paper examines how Latino families separated by borders use technology to communicate with their loved ones. Full article: doi.org/10.1093/hcr/... Thank you to the authors Hyojin Lee, Jennifer Lam, @nmolinarogers.bsky.social, Ricardo Delgado Solis, and Amy Gonzales

Technology-mediated communication among migrant families separated by borders: understanding the tensions of relational maintenance

Abstract. This study examined how highly under-resourced Latina/o/x/e families used technologically mediated communication to maintain their relationship w

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October 2026 issue has been released! Huge thanks to all contributors. Some of the incredible research published in this new issue: Alicia Ernst et al. examine Mood Management Theory in the context of algorithmically curated music streaming. Read the full paper here: doi.org/10.1093/hcr/...

Revisiting the digital jukebox in daily life: applying Mood Management Theory to algorithmically curated music streaming environments

Abstract. A large body of experimental evidence has contributed to our understanding of Mood Management Theory (MMT) in the context of music. Extant resear

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We are happy to welcome our new editorial assistant, Jay Rose, to the HCR team. We extend huge thanks to our former EA, Hee Jung Cho, and wish her luck as she finishes her PhD. Jay will be assisting Dr. Peng addressing HCR questions and issues, and the editorial contact email will remain the same.

📣 Reminder: 26 days left! Submit an extended abstract for the special issue: "Who Are We Studying in Communication Research? Revisiting Audience in a Transforming Media Environment" 📌 Extended abstracts due August 31, 2026 📝 Full papers due March 2027 Learn more: academic.oup.com/hcr/pages/sp...

Call for Papers 2026 - Special Issue

Who Are We Studying in Communication Research? Revisiting Audience in a Transforming Media Environment Guest Editors: Ye Sun | City University of Hong Kong Ben

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Call for Papers - Human Communication Research We're now accepting submissions for a special issue: "Who Are We Studying in Communication Research? Revisiting Audience in a Transforming Media Environment" Extended abstract deadline: August 31, 2026 Full details: academic.oup.com/hcr/pages/sp...

Call for Papers 2026 - Special Issue

Who Are We Studying in Communication Research? Revisiting Audience in a Transforming Media Environment Guest Editors: Ye Sun | City University of Hong Kong Ben

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New in HCR: What makes a television show feel like “a show for us”? @stewartcoles.bsky.social (2026) finds that co-partisan endorsement increased exposure intentions for a fictitious television program, while racial ingroup endorsement alone did not. Read more: doi.org/10.1093/hcr/...

A show for us: how racial and partisan cues about television audiences affect exposure intentions

Abstract. Current explanations for political divides in entertainment media use identify divergent preferences for or evaluations of content. According to

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New in HCR: Wicke et al. (2026) find that targeted universalist messaging about Child Tax Credit expansion did not reduce policy support among White Americans, but it increased anger, responsibility stereotyping, and lowered perceived government responsibility. Read more: doi.org/10.1093/hcr/...

Testing message strategies that minimize White Americans’ backlash to racial equity information

Abstract. Scholars have worried that messages about racial equity can produce backlash from White respondents. Drawing upon psychological reactance theory,

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New in HCR: Zhu et al. (2026) find that larger choice sets increased overall and cross-cutting news selection. Choice set composition shaped cross-cutting exposure, but attitudes and behavioral intentions did not significantly change in the short term. Read: doi.org/10.1093/hcr/...

The power of context: how choice set size and composition influence overall and cross-cutting news exposure

Abstract. In times of diverse media choices, the context in which choices are made can influence news exposure and opinion change. Inspired by the marketin

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We’re excited to announce that HCR is now on LinkedIn! Stay connected with us: www.linkedin.com/company/huma...

Human Communication Research | LinkedIn

Human Communication Research | Human Communication Research (HCR) is the flagship journal of the International Communication Association.

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New HCR issue out now! Vol. 52(2), April 2026. Dive into cutting-edge research on interparental conflict and parent-child triangulation, body-positive and fitspirational influencers, communicated sense-making in social groups, and digital panopticon/dataveillance. academic.oup.com/hcr/issue/52/2

New in HCR: In a 3-week longitudinal study, Breves et al. (2025) find that body-positive influencer content, compared with fitspirational content, fostered stronger parasocial relationships and increased wishful identification and body satisfaction over time. doi.org/10.1093/hcr/...

The impact of body-positive and fitspirational influencers on body satisfaction: a longitudinal study of evolving parasocial relationships

Abstract. Body-focused influencers are ubiquitous on social media, promoting diverse messages around physical appearances, fitness, and self-acceptance. Th

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New in HCR: @markusappel.bsky.social et al. (2025) show that congeniality bias persisted regardless of fiction vs. non-fiction labeling, emerging for positive portrayals but not for negative ones, with non-fiction slightly preferred overall. Read the full article: doi.org/10.1093/hcr/...

Can fictional stories beat the congeniality bias? Selective exposure to fiction and non-fiction

Abstract. People prefer attitude-consistent information over attitude-inconsistent information (congeniality bias). Connecting theory on the processing of

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New in HCR: @wliao229.bsky.social, Ya-Ching Lee, @hnxue.bsky.social and @ekmckinley.bsky.social find that AI use (N = 2,187) is driven by self-agency and machine-communion, highlighting how trait perceptions operate within relational schemas and are shaped by trust over time. doi.org/10.1093/hcr/...

Relational introspections with machines: a social-cognitive framework of trait perception, relational schemas, and trust in intention to use AI

Abstract. This paper proposes a framework for understanding people’s relational introspections with machines. Through a social information processing lens,

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New in HCR by @ymeier.bsky.social & @masurphil.bsky.social: A 3-wave longitudinal study shows dataveillance relates to privacy resignation between-person, while critical privacy literacy is the key within-person predictor of self-inhibition. Read the full article: doi.org/10.1093/hcr/...

Escaping the digital panopticon? Longitudinal effects of dataveillance salience shocks on privacy attitudes and inhibited behaviors

Abstract. Using internet technologies exposes individuals to constant surveillance by companies and other actors. Perceptions of constant surveillance—term

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📢 New in HCR: Interviews with 26 missionaries show metaphors, memorable messages, & personification, grounded in Christian in-group vernacular, support sense-making during reentry. This extends the CSM model with personification & in-group vernacular. Read the full article: doi.org/10.1093/hcr/...

Extending communicated sense-making theorizing to social groups: missionaries’ use of metaphor, personification, and in-group vernacular

Abstract. Exiting the totalistic and intensively focused structure of missionary service prompts sense-making as missionaries return and adapt to life at h

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📢 New in HCR: Two preregistered experiments show that Instagram self-presentation can be self-affirming and, when it occurs before upward social comparison, can buffer against envy. The well-being effects of social media can depend on the sequence of activities. Read more: doi.org/10.1093/hcr/...

The combined well-being effects of social media activities: how self-affirmation can buffer against upward social comparisons on Instagram

Abstract. Social media activities do not occur in isolation, and it is possible that the well-being effects of an initial activity modify the effects of a

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New in HCR by @pmerz.bsky.social & @cvsikorski.bsky.social: Influencer posts with collective response efficacy increased these beliefs and collective action intentions. Effects were strongest for followers with strong parasocial bonds; repeated exposure amplified effects. doi.org/10.1093/hcr/...

Social media influencers can increase collective political beliefs and actions: findings from experiments and a quasi-experimental field study

Abstract. The belief in the capabilities of one’s own group is crucial for joining collective action aimed at addressing large-scale societal crises like c

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📢 New in HCR by @janadreston.bsky.social and @andreasnanz.bsky.social: Both intentional search and accidental exposure to election info on social media boost political knowledge—but don’t improve vote-choice alignment. Intentional seekers just feel more confident. Read: doi.org/10.1093/hcr/...

Incidental and intentional exposure in a mock election setting on social media: effects on subjective and objective political knowledge and aligned voting

Abstract. As political campaigns increasingly use social media to reach voters, scholars debate whether users actually acquire election-related knowledge o

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📢 New in HCR! Vol. 51, Issue 4 (Oct 2025)! Studies on intellectual humility, AI imaginaries, media parenting, gender and sexist behavior, political communication, identity, and parent-child conversations about mental health. Read the full issue here: academic.oup.com/hcr/issue/51/4

📢 New in HCR: “What do people watch under adversity?" By combining Netflix viewing histories with diary data, this study finds no evidence that daily adversity predicts content choice. Instead, coping strategies shape genre preferences. 🔗 academic.oup.com/hcr/advance-... #Coping #MoodManagement

What do people watch under adversity? Testing interactions of semantic affinity and coping style using Netflix data donations

Abstract. Media are frequently used for coping with everyday stressors, but little is known about what content individuals choose under such adversity. Bui

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📢 Editorial Note from the Editor-in-Chief of Human Communication Research academic.oup.com/hcr/advance-...

Human Communication Research at a crossroads: reaffirming standards, reimagining possibilities

Abstract. As Human Communication Research begins a new editorial chapter, this editorial reaffirms the journal’s longstanding commitment to theory-driven s

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⏰ Deadline Day! 🚨 Don't forget to submit your extended abstract to HCR's Special Issue: "Advancements in the Study of Causal Mechanisms across Communication Contexts." 📌 Due: Sep 15, 2025 👤 Guest Editor: R. Lance Holbert (UPenn) 🔗 For details: academic.oup.com/hcr/pages/ca...

Special Issue – Call for Papers

Guest Editor R. Lance Holbert University of Pennsylvania

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⏳ Countdown: 10 days left! Human Communication Research is accepting submissions for a Special Issue: "Advancements in the Study of Causal Mechanisms across Communication Contexts" 📌 Guest Editor: R. Lance Holbert (UPenn) 📝 Extended abstracts due Sept 15, 2025 🔗 academic.oup.com/hcr/pages/ca...

⏰ 21 days left! HCR Special Issue: "Advancements in the Study of Causal Mechanisms across Communication Contexts" Guest Editor: R. Lance Holbert (University of Pennsylvania) 📌 Extended abstracts due September 15, 2025 🔗 Full details: academic.oup.com/hcr/pages/ca...

Special Issue – Call for Papers

Guest Editor R. Lance Holbert University of Pennsylvania

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New Publication Alert from HCR! How is AI constituted as valuable in organizations? Emma Christensen shows how communicative practices mobilize expectations and imaginaries to shape what AI means. Read more: doi.org/10.1093/hcr/... #AI #HumanCommunicationResearch #SociotechnicalImaginaries

Organizing expectations: the co-constitutive dynamics of AI imaginaries

Abstract. This study examines how artificial intelligence (AI) is constituted as valuable within organizational settings through communicative practices th

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🚨Call for Papers – HCR🚨 Special Issue: Advancements in the Study of Causal Mechanisms across Communication Contexts Guest Editor: R. Lance Holbert (University of Pennsylvania) 📌 Abstracts due: September 15, 2025 📝 Full papers due: March 2026 🔗 Details: academic.oup.com/hcr/pages/ca...

Special Issue – Call for Papers

Guest Editor R. Lance Holbert University of Pennsylvania

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New Article from HCR! A global study by Jane Shawcroft & Drew P. Cingel identifies five media parenting profiles across four world regions, showing how culture shapes which parenting approaches best support adolescent well-being in the digital age. Read the full article: doi.org/10.1093/hcr/...

There is more than one way to engage in effective media parenting: An analysis of parenting with media in four world regions and associations with adolescent well-being

Abstract. We examined whether multiple approaches to media parenting could be supportive of adolescent well-being. Using a Latent Profile Analysis, we iden

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Special Issue Alert from HCR – Now Available! Theme: Communication and the Self: Past, Present, and Future Guest Editors: Dr. Markus Appel and Dr. Amanda Holmstrom Read here: academic.oup.com/hcr/issue/51/3 #HumanCommunicationResearch #HCRSpecialIssue

Volume 51 Issue 3 | Human Communication Research | Oxford Academic

A journal of the International Communication Association, Human Communication Research concentrates on presenting the best empirical work in the area of human communication.

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