What should we make of Hollywood’s turn toward microdramas, as well as TikTok’s heavy investment in them? How is any of this different than Quibi? @krystenstein.bsky.social and I answer those questions in our latest op-ed for The Conversation. theconversation.com/tiktoks-popu...

TikTok’s popular microdramas shrink TV into bite-sized chunks

As TikTok invests in short-form scripted series, it’s leaning into the same storytelling, advertising and viewing habits that defined television.

theconversation.com

New preprint out! 🎉 “From Wounded Healers to Commercialized Caregivers”: a scoping review of mental health content creators on social media. We reviewed 59 empirical studies on mental health content creators across platforms. Main findings below 🧵 Feedback very welcome! doi.org/10.31234/osf...

Really happy to have worked on this with precious colleagues from all over the world 🌍 Qianfeng Lu, Srusti Bhalerao, @krystenstein.bsky.social, @amandayarnell.bsky.social, @tobiasdienlin.com and Laura Marciano.

Rethinking television via TikTok. That sounds like a pretty cool paper d-(^_^)z

Jess Maddox@jessmaddox.bsky.social · 5mo ago

New article out today with Andreas Schellewald, @krystenstein.bsky.social, Ignacio Siles, and Ellenrose Firth, in which we examine how TikTok functions like television via audiences, genres, political economy, aesthetics, and intertextual elements. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

New article out today with Andreas Schellewald, @krystenstein.bsky.social, Ignacio Siles, and Ellenrose Firth, in which we examine how TikTok functions like television via audiences, genres, political economy, aesthetics, and intertextual elements. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

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journals.sagepub.com

On NPR on Friday, there was a story of a 4-year-old--an American citizen--who hasn't left her house since early December, not even to play in the yard. And her 8-year-old brother recently stopped going to school, too. Their father is undocumented, and the family doesn't want to risk him being taken.

Morgan J Freeman@mjfree.bsky.social · 6mo ago

There are so many families in this city who are now one to two months behind on rent. We are trying our best with gofundme’s and various pooled resources but this would be so helpful, especially for the many families who don’t know who to ask or how to find the resources that are out there

Jason Chavez@jchavezmpls.bsky.social · 6mo ago

We need an EVICTION MORATORIUM NOW. Our neighbors risk being separated from their families when they go to work. They also run the risk of being displaced if they don’t. Sadly, Mayor Frey refused to sign the resolution calling on the Governor to enact this moratorium.

Just so we’re clear!

If you're living somewhere outside the USA, one thing you can do is pressure your leaders to boycott World Cup and Olympic events here.

I just wrote a @theactionnetwork.bsky.social letter: Tell Congress: Freeze Funding for ICE!. Write one here: act.standupamerica.com/letters/lett...

Tell Congress: Freeze Funding for ICE!

Congress has a critical government funding deadline on January 30th. It’s up to them to use it for good—by opposing additional funding for DHS without safeguards that rein in violent and lawless agent...

act.standupamerica.com

Over 60 students protested the presence of Customs and Border Protection at the OSU career fair today. CBP, an agency of the Dept of Homeland Security, is closely associated with ICE. Three students were arrested. Photo credit: Kyle Roberston, Columbus Dispatch. Link below.

Calling all humilitainment scholars: I'm putting together a panel for the Canadian Communication Association's 2026 conference on humilitainment, pleasure, & media industries with @krystenstein.bsky.social and @jessmaddox.bsky.social. We need 1 more panelist. Is this you? DM me by 11/24!

Academic freedom and democracy go hand in hand. The Trump “Loyalty Oath” Compact threatens both. UC must lead with integrity, not ideology—standing for inquiry, truth, and independence. Sign and share! actionnetwork.org/petitions/9c... #UCChooseIntegrity #DefendDemocracy #RejectTheCompact

Say No to Trump’s “Loyalty Oath” Compact!

Leaders at UC and across the country are facing federal interference that undermines the mission of higher education. Institutions of higher learning in the United States have been offered Trump’s “Co...

actionnetwork.org

teaching #OOTD 🌟

Universities attempting to stay out of the Trump admin's line of fire by being silent and doing nothing publicly to support faculty, staff, and students are going to find themselves with no faculty, staff, or students. Might as well grow a spine.

teaching #OOTD

👀 New Substack post is up! I’ve been deep in re-reading my book manuscript (And How Does That Make You Feel? Theratainment and the Digital Commodification of Mental Health, UC Press, 2027). This week I’m sharing a peek at Chapter 1: Out of Network, Into the Algorithm.

✨ in honor of seeing one of my all-time faves, ani difranco, this week, i couldn’t resist bringing her into the classroom. ✨

Super pumped to share that I’m now a Research Affiliate in Dr. Kishonna Gray’s @kishonna.bsky.social brilliant Intersectional Tech Lab at the University of Michigan’s School of Information! 💻✨

As many of us people who study or work in tech tried to tell y’all, move fast & break things was always about POWER, not progress.

In many places in America, it's easier to buy a gun than it is to adopt a cat from a shelter.

✨ teaching OOTD ✨ first week back. i am honored to be featured in UC Blue Ash News Notes this week, and even more excited to be in the classroom teaching intro to comm studies and media literacy.

today was my first day of year 14 teaching 🖤 with everything going on federally and here in ohio with sb1, it feels really difficult to show up. but i’m grounding myself in community and care, and doing the best i can for my students and those around me.

New semester, new experiment ✨ After 14 years of teaching, I’ve redesigned my courses around what I’m calling the Reflect & Act Model: Mondays = reading & reflection, Wednesdays = action & application.

Trying Something New in the Classroom

After 14 years of teaching, I’m centering care, community, and collective rigor.

open.substack.com

Excited to share that I got to chat with @nbcnews.com about the rise of man-on-the-street interviews and their transformation into a popular social media trend. The segment went live this summer—check it out here:

great new blog post from the brilliant @krystenstein.bsky.social (and a sneak peak about our autoethnographic project about disability and academic labour! 👀)

Krysten Stein, PhD@krystenstein.bsky.social · 12mo ago

What helped you soften the cost of showing up? I’d love to hear your thoughts, and you can read the full reflection here: open.substack.com/pub/glittera...