Current Research

Networks in communities and health crises  

This research delves into several facets of multimodality, especially focusing on the dynamic relationship between online and face-to-face interactions. It seeks to analyze how discussions influence the progression of topics within networks and online communities. This research line encompasses issues including environmental health crises (such as wastewater concerns as they emerge in large data sets), the formation of health communities, and recurring viral infections like the flu. It aims to track changes in the timing and structure of these conversations over time. Moreover, this research scrutinizes technological capabilities on the communication of health-related challenges. Within this research strand, I explore communication obstacles in rural, underserved communities, examining linguistic cues, figurative language usage, and persuasion.

• Britt, R. K., Franco, C. L., & Jones, N. (2023). Trends and challenges within Reddit and health communication research: A systematic review. Communication and the Public. https://doi.org/10.1177/20570473231209075
• Britt, R. K., Doss, E. F., & Hayes, M. (2023). Infrastructural and network support in the illness experience: The role of community crowdsourcing in self-care. Proceedings of the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 2023. Track: Information Technology in Healthcare, Social Media and Healthcare Technology.
• VanDyke, M. S., Britt, B. C., Britt, R. K., & Franco, C. L. (2023). How environment-focused communities discuss COVID-19 online: An analysis of (risk) information amplification on Reddit. Environmental Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2022.205622
• Britt, R. K., Britt, B. C., Panek, E., & Lee, J. (2022). Communication expressed on the COVID-19 subreddit in the midst of a global pandemic. Health Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1994190
• Britt, B. C., & Britt, R. K. (2020). From waifus to whales: The evolution of discourse in a mobile game-based competitive community of practice. Mobile Media & Communication. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050157920934509

Online health communities, social support, and affordances

This work delves into online health communities, emphasizing the role of technological affordances in facilitating social support and health information dissemination within digital spaces. By using various methods, I investigate several datasets regarding social support, aiming to uncover the evolution of communication strategies adopted over time. Particularly intriguing to me is the exploration of how online platforms harness affordances to facilitate social support, disseminate health-related information, and foster evaluation of information accuracy. Through this work, I seek to develop a comprehensive understanding of how technology influences and shapes the landscape of health communication online.

• Britt, R. K., Carmack, H. C., Morris, A. J., Chakraborty, A. R., & Franco, C. L. (2023). Does Organizational Messaging Make a Difference? Investigating Themes and Language Style in Twitter Discourse and Engagement by Mental Health Organizations. Journal of Health Communication, https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2023.2278609

• Britt, R. K., & Barkley, K. (2023). Japan’s digital diaspora: social capital, health, and public communication in r/japanlife. Japan Forum. https://doi.org/10.1080/09555803.2023.2272827
• Britt, R. K., Chou, S., Omah, O., & Chakraborty, A. (2023). The state of eHealth studies across information technology and communication: An analysis of published studies to guide future scholarship. Proceedings of the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 2023. Track: Information Technology in Healthcare, IT Adoption, Diffusion, and Evaluation in Healthcare.
• Price, S. F., & Britt, R. K. (2023). “Look for positive people”: Constructions of counter narratives within r/transgender_surgeries. Women & Language.
• Britt, R. K., Maddox, J., Kanthawala, S., & Hayes, J. L. (2020). The impact of mHealth interventions: Improving health outcomes through narratives, mixed methods and data mining. In J. Kim & H. Song, Eds., New Technologies for Health-related Cognitive and Behavioral Changes. Elsevier.

Persuasion and social media influencers  

In this research area, my primary focus revolves around investigating the role wielded by social media influencers (SMIs) and their impact on the lay public. Understanding the mechanisms of social influence orchestrated through SMIs and their audiences, along with the evolution of networks over time can provide important insight on consumer behavior in health marketing. Recent studies have delved into the emotional sway that health and medical influencers hold over the public, particularly emphasizing their role in shaping decision-making processes, such as purchasing intent. This inquiry delves into examining the emergence of new networks and organizations surrounding SMIs, elucidating the role played by affective and cognitive processes in shaping their influence. Moreover, it endeavors to discern how these processes contribute to shaping persuasive intent outcomes.

• Britt, R. K., Carmack, H. C., Morris, A. J., Chakraborty, A. R., & Franco, C. L. (2023). Does Organizational Messaging Make a Difference? Investigating Themes and Language Style in Twitter Discourse and Engagement by Mental Health Organizations. Journal of Health Communication, https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2023.2278609
• Park, H., Hayes, J. L., Britt, B. C., & Britt, R. K. (2023). A cross-cultural study of consumer brand engagement through social media influencers on Twitter: A computational comparison of American and South Korean influencers. Manuscript presented at the annual conference of the American Academy of Advertising.
• Britt, R. K., Hayes, J., Britt, B. C., & Park, H. (2020). Too big to sell? A computational analysis of network and content characteristics among mega and micro beauty and fashion social media influencers. Journal of Interactive Advertising. doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2020.1763873