Jess Rauchberg , Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Communication Technologies
College of Human Development Culture and Media
(973) 275-3357
Email
Arts & Sciences Hall
Room 222
Jess Rauchberg, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Communication Technologies
College of Human Development Culture and Media
Dr. Jess Rauchberg’s research investigates the cultural impacts of digital communication technologies.
Dr. Rauchberg is an internationally recognized expert on social media platforms, creator economies, and digital cultures. At Seton Hall, she primarily teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on identity, technology, media, and contemporary culture. She is currently working on projects highlighting marginality, visibility, and cultural production on social media platforms, focusing on the intersection of race, disability, and gender in the influencer industry. Her scholarship is currently supported by a Microsoft Research Grant.
An award-winning researcher, Dr. Rauchberg’s writing and service has been recognized by the National Communication Association, the International Communication Association, Console-ing Passions, and other leading professional organizations in communication and media studies. She is a founding member of the Content Creator Scholars Network and a global member of the TikTok Cultures Research Network. In 2023, she partnered with Microsoft Research New England to co-facilitate a workshop on generative artificial intelligence and the creator economy.
Dr. Rauchberg is available to speak on the record with journalists about digital culture and social media. Her expertise is quoted in The New York Times, ABC, Vox, TechCrunch, and Fast Company.
Education
- Ph.D., Communication, New Media, and Cultural Studies, McMaster University
- M.A., Communication, University of South Florida
- B.A., Conflict Analysis and Resolution (cum laude), George Mason University
Classes Taught
Undergraduate
- COJR/WMST 3432: Gender & the Media
- COMM 1600: Listening & Speaking in a Digital World
- COMM 2625: Public-Presentational Speaking
Graduate
- COMM 7507: Designing & Leading Diverse Organizations
- COMM 8199: Master’s Project I
- COMM 8200: Master’s Project II
Scholarship
Fellowships
- 2023-Microsoft Research Grant
- 2020-NSERC-CREATE Graduate Fellowship
Selected Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
- Gardner, P.M. & Rauchberg, J. (2024). Feminist cybernetic, critical race, postcolonial and crip propositions for the theoretical future of Human-Machine Communication. Human-Machine Communication, 8, 21-57.
- Alper, M., Rauchberg, J.S., Simpson, E., Guberman, J. & Feinberg, S. (2023, online first). TikTok as algorithmically mediated biographical illumination: Self-discovery and autism diagnosis on #Autisktok. New Media & Society, 1-19.
- D’Souza, R.A., Rauchberg, J.S., & Nieto-Fernandez, B.A. (2023). The labor of diversity in 2020-21 U.S. tenure-track Communication jobs. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 51(6), 602-620.
- Newman-Griffis, D., Rauchberg, J.S., Alharbi, R.M., Hickman, L., & Hochheiser, H. (2023). Definition drives design: Disability models and mechanisms of bias in AI technologies. First Monday, 28(1-2).
- Rauchberg, J.S. (2022). “Lena Dunham is trash”: White feminist misogynoir and the limitations of #MeToo’s hashtag activism. The Popular Culture Studies Journal, 10(2), 123-141.
- Rauchberg, J.S. (2022). A different girl, but she’s nothing new: Olivia Rodrigo and posting imitation pop on TikTok. Feminist Media Studies, 22(5), 1290-1294.
- Rauchberg, J.S. (2022). Imagining a neuroqueer technoscience. Studies in Social Justice, 16(2), 370-388.
- D’Souza, R.A. & Rauchberg, J.S. (2020). Neoliberal values & queer/disability in Margarita with a Straw. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 13(2), 183-196.
Selected Book Chapters
- Gardner, P.M. & Rauchberg, J. (2023). Feminist, postcolonial, and crip approaches to Human-Machine Communication methodology. In A. Guzman, R. McEwen, & S. Jones (eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Human-Machine Communication (pp. 252-260), SAGE.
- Rauchberg, J.S. (2022). #Shadowbanned: Queer, trans, and disabled creator responses to algorithmic oppression on TikTok. In P. Pain (ed.), LGBTQ Digital Cultures: A Global Perspective (pp. 196-209), Routledge.
Invited Presentations
- Invited panelist, “Artificial Intelligence Literacy.” Seton Hall University Center for Faculty Development. August 20, 2024.
- Invited panelist, “Artificial Intelligence and Higher Education.” Seton Hall University Teaching, Learning, and Technology Center. November 2, 2023.
- Invited colloquium presenter, “Beyond algorithmic ableism: Platform moderation as quantum media.” Illinois College. Virtual. April 11, 2023.
- Guest panelist, “What is digital scholarship?” Lewis and Ruth Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship. Hybrid. September 27, 2022.
- Featured presenter, “Selfies, stories, strategies: The communicative practices of disabled content creators disrupting the authenticity bind.” Lewis and Ruth Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship’s “Content Creators, Digital Labour, and Online Identities.” Virtual. May 27, 2022.
- Featured presenter, “Crip technoscience as co-design: Justice informed approaches to health, aging, and technology.” NSERC-CREATE sMAP Public Symposium, McMaster University. Virtual. June 1, 2021.
Media Appearances
- Interview, ABC, “Vice President Kamala Harris’s connection to ‘brat’ summer.” [Linked.] Published July 27, 2024.
- Interview, TechCrunch. “There’s a lot more to the Kamala Harris memes than you think.” [Linked.] Published July 23, 2024.
- Interview, Vox. “The latest drama in ‘poverty porn’ YouTube, explained.” [Linked.] Published March 21, 2024.
- Interview, The New York Times. “Are you talking, or are you ‘yapping?’” [Linked.] Published March 20, 2024.
- Interview, Fast Company. “The Twitter rivals are barely making a dent in Elon Musk’s business.” [Linked.] Published October 27, 2023.
Accomplishments
Academic Distinctions
- 2023-Top Paper, Identity, Inclusion, and Social Justice Division, Southern States Communication Association
- 2021-Nominee, Donald P. Cushman Memorial Award, National Communication Association
- 2021-Top Student Paper, Organizational Communication Division, National Communication Association
- 2020-Top Paper, Activism and Social Justice Division, National Communication Association
- 2020-Top Reviewer, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Interest Group, International Communication Association
- 2020-Top Student Paper, Organization for Research on Women and Communication, Western States Communication Association
- 2019-Elias and Vivian Drake Nader Award, University of South Florida
- 2019-Outstanding Departmental Service, University of South Florida
- 2018-Top Paper, Disability Issues Caucus, National Communication Association
Awards and Distinctions
- Honorable Mention, Article of the Year Award | 2023
Association for Rhetoric of Science, Technology, and Medicine - Top Paper | 2023
Identity, Inclusion, & Social Justice Division, Southern States Communication Association - Nominee, Donald P. Cushman Memorial Award | 2021
National Communication Association - Selected participant, Digital IDEAS Institute | 2021
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and University of Michigan - Selected participant, Doctoral Honors Seminar | 2021
Rhetoric and Performance Studies Track, National Communication Association - Top Student Paper | 2021
Organizational Communication Division, National Communication Association - Top Research Paper | 2020
Activism and Social Justice Division, National Communication Association - Student Award | 2020
LGBTQ Studies Interest Group, International Communication Association - Top Reviewer Award | 2020
LGBTQ Studies Interest Group, International Communication Association - Top Student Paper | 2020
Organization for Research on Women and Communication, Western States Communication Association - Elias and Vivian Drake Nader Award | 2019
Department of Communication, University of South Florida - Outstanding Departmental Service Award | 2019
Department of Communication, University of South Florida - Top Research Paper | 2018
Disability Issues Caucus, National Communication Association
Professional Affiliations
- Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR)
- Content Creator Scholars Network (CCSN)
- International Communication Association (ICA)
- National Communication Association (NCA)
- Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS)
- TikTok Cultures Research Network (TCRN)
Areas of Expertise
- Communication technologies
- Critical/cultural studies
- Creator studies
- Digital culture
- Disability
- Feminist media studies
- Influencer industries
- Internet studies
- Platform studies
- Race
- Social media