Hyunjin Seo
School of Journalism and Mass Communications - JournalismRoom 207A
Hyunjin Seo is an associate professor of strategic communication in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas. In 2013 she was named a Docking Faculty Scholar, an award given by the University of Kansas to a junior faculty member who has “distinguished themselves early in their career.” In January 2014, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication named her an Emerging Scholar in recognition of her research on social media and social change.
Seo’s research interests lie at the intersection of digital media, civic engagement and international communication. She has conducted research on how social collaborative networks, facilitated by digital communication technologies, help mobilize movements or address social problems at local, national or international levels. Her recent projects include an empirical study of teens’ use of social media and collective action funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. Her research has received top paper awards at leading international conferences and has been published in top-tier journals such as Journal of Communication and New Media & Society. Seo received her Ph.D. in mass communications from Syracuse University in 2010 where her dissertation was awarded the all-university Doctoral Prize.
Seo teaches courses on social media, research methods and strategic campaigns. Her “excellence and innovation in teaching” earned her a Promising Professor Award from AEJMC’s Mass Communication and Society Division in 2013. Critical and analytical thinking and independent learning are at the core of her teaching, as she believes these are important tools students will require in whatever profession they pursue in an increasingly complex world. She strives to help students build reasoning abilities and spark their imagination. And her classes combine theoretical and hands-on approaches to issues by enabling students to work with real-world clients. Most of all, she is excited about the idea of potentially helping students realize their dreams.
Seo’s research and teaching are influenced by her professional experience in journalism and strategic communication in South Korea and the United States. Prior to her graduate studies in the United States, Seo was a foreign affairs correspondent for South Korean and international media outlets. During that time, she traveled extensively to cover major international events including six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear issues and gatherings of world leaders such as the United Nations and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit talks. She has also consulted to U.S. and Korea-based nongovernmental organizations regarding their social media strategies and relations with international press.
Education
Ph.D., Mass Communications, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University
M.A., Mass Communications, Missouri School of Journalism, University of Missouri
M.S., International Relations, Graduate Institute of Peace Studies, Kyung Hee University
B.A., English Education, Kyungpook National University
Teaching Interests
- Social media
- Strategic campaigns
- Research methods
Research Interests
- Social Media
- Strategic communication
- Network analysis
- Public diplomacy
- Activism
Selected Publications
Seo, H., Harn, R., & Husain, S. (in press). Facebook brand communities and social capital. Athens Journal of Mass Media and Communications.
Seo, H. (in press). Internet connectivity. Encyclopedia of the Internet.
Seo, H., & Thorson, S. (2016). Empathy in public diplomacy: Strategic academic engagement with North Korea. In J. Pamment (Ed.), Intersections between public diplomacy & international development: Case studies in converging fields.
Seo, H., & Thorson, S. (2016). A mixture model of global Internet capacity distributions. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 67(8), 2032-2044. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/asi.23523/full
Seo, H., Harn, R., Ebrahim, H., & Aldana, J. (2016). International students’ social media use and social adjustment. First Monday, 21(11). http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/6880/5646
Seo, H., & Ebrahim, H. (2016). Visual propaganda on Facebook: A comparative analysis of Syrian conflicts. Media, War & Conflict, 9(3). http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1750635216661648
Seo, H., & Thorson, S. (2015). Network approach to Internet bandwidth. Computational Social Networks, 2(11), 1-11. http://www.computationalsocialnetworks.com/content/pdf/s40649-015-0022-7.pdf
Seo, H., Houston, B., Knight, A. Taylor, Kennedy, E., & Inglish, A. Brook (2014). Teens’ social media use and collective action. New Media & Society, 16(6), 883-902. DOI:10.1177/1461444813495162 http://nms.sagepub.com/content/16/6/883
Seo, H. (2014). Visual propaganda in the age of social media: Twitter images during 2012 Israeli-Hamas conflict. Visual Communication Quarterly, 21(3), 150-161.
Seo, H. (2013). The ‘virtual last three feet’: Understanding relationship perspectives in network-based public diplomacy. In R. Zaharna, A. Arsenault, & A. Fisher (Eds.), Relational, Networked, and Collaborative Approaches to Public Diplomacy: The Connective Mindshift (pp. 157-169). New York: Routledge.
Thorson, S., & Seo, H. (2013). From adversaries to partners: Academic science engagement with North Korea. Global Asia, 8(2), 43-47.
Houston, B., Seo, H., Kennedy, E., & Knight, A. Taylor (2013). Urban youth’s perspectives on flash mobs. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 41(3), 236-252.
Seo, H. (2013). Online social relations and country reputation. International Journal of Communication, 7, 1-20.
Seo, H., & Kinsey, D. F. (2013). Three Korean perspectives on U.S. internet public diplomacy. Public Relations Review, 39(5), 594-596.
Shoemaker, P., Cohen, A., Seo, H., & Wang, X. (2012). Foreign and international news. In F. Esser & T. Hanitzsch (Eds.), Handbook of comparative communication (pp. 341-351). ICA/Routledge.
Seo, H., & Kinsey, D. (2012). Meaning of democracy around the world: A thematic and structural analysis of videos defining democracy. Visual Communication Quarterly, 19(2), 94-107.
Seo, H., & Thorson, S. (2012). Networks of networks: Changing patterns in country bandwidth and centrality in global information infrastructure, 2002-2010. Journal of Communication, 62(2), 345-358.
Seo, H. (2011). Media and foreign policy: A comparative study of journalists' perceptions of press-government relations. Journalism: Theory, Practice & Criticism, 12(4), 467-482.
Seo, H., & Thorson, S. (2010). Evaluating social networks in public diplomacy. In C. G. Reddick (Ed.), Politics, Democracy and E-government: Participation and Service Delivery (pp. 243-259). IGI Global Publishing.
Shoemaker, P., Johnson, P., Seo, H., & Wang, X. (2010). Popular online news in Russia, China, and the United States. In E. Vartanova (Ed.), Content, channels and audiences in the new millennium: Interaction and interrelations (pp. 73-103). Moscow: Lomonosov Moscow State University.
Shoemaker, P., Johnson, P., Seo, H., & Wang, X. (2010). Readers as gatekeepers of online news: Brazil, China, and the United States. Brazilian Journalism Research, 6(1), 55-77.
Seo, H., & Lim, J. (2010). Source credibility and use during the six-party talks. Asian Journal of Communication, 20(4), 440-455.
Seo, H., & Thorson, S. (2009). Academic science engagement with North Korea. The Korea Economic Institute (KEI) Academic Paper Series on Korea, 4(4), 1-10.
Lim, J., & Seo, H. (2009). Frame flow between government and the news media and its effects on the public: Framing of North Korea. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 21(2), 204-223.
Seo, H., Kim, J., & Yang, S. (2009). Global activism and new media: A study of transnational NGOs' online public relations. Public Relations Review, 35(2), 123-126.
Seo, H. (2009). International media coverage of North Korea: Study of journalists and news reports on the six-party nuclear talks. Asian Journal of Communication, 19(1), 1-17.
Selected Presentations
Seo, H. & Thorson, S. (07/01/2017 - 07/31/2017). Press Freedom Homophily and the Structure of the Global Internet. International Conference on Computational Social Science. Cologne, Germany
Seo, H. & Beckage, N. (07/01/2017 - 07/31/2017). Social Media and Ethnic/Racial Inclusion: Topic Modeling and Multiplex Network Analysis Approach. International Conference on Computational Social Science. Cologne, Germany
Seo, H., Li, F. & Sterbenz, J. (05/01/2017 - 05/31/2017). Multilevel Analysis of Networked Movements in Digital Age. International Communication Association. San Diego
Seo, H. (03/01/2017 - 03/01/2017). Perspectives: Activism, Protest & Change. Lawrence, KS
Seo, H., Pluretti, R. & Li, F. (08/01/2016 - 08/31/2016). Perceptions of online reviews: Motivation, sidedness, and reviewer information. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Minneapolis, MN
Seo, H., Harn, R., Ebrahim, H. & Aldana, J. (06/01/2016 - 06/30/2016). Roles of social media in social support and adjustment: A study of international students in the United States. International Communication Association. Fukuoka, Japan
Xue, H., Li, F., Seo, H., Pluretti, R. & . (08/20/2015 - 08/22/2015). Trust-aware review spam detection. IEEE International Conference on Trust, Security and Privacy in Computing and Communications (IEEE TrustCom-15). Helsinki, Finland
Ebrahim, H., Seo, H. & . (08/06/2015 - 08/09/2015). Twitter images in Middle Eastern higher education: A visual content analysis approach. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. San Francisco, CA
Seo, H., Li, F., Lim, J., Pluretti, R., Xue, H., Vekapu, S. & . (08/06/2015 - 08/09/2015). User ratings of Yelp reviews: A big data analysis approach. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. San Francisco, CA
Seo, H., Thorson, S. & . (05/01/2015 - 05/31/2015). A mixture model of global Internet capacity distributions. International Communication Association. San Juan, Puerto Rico
Seo, H., Li, F., Pluretti, R., Lim, J., Xue, H., Vekapu, S. & . (05/01/2015 - 05/31/2015). Perceived usefulness of online reviews: Effects of review characteristics and reviewer attributes. International Communication Association. San Juan, Puerto Rico
Seo, H. & Ebrahim, H. (05/01/2015 - 05/31/2015). Social media and visual propaganda: A comparative analysis of Facebook images during Syrian conflicts. International Communication Association. San Juan, Puerto Rico
Seo, H., Harn, R., Husain, S. & . (05/11/2015 - 05/14/2015). Facebook brand communities: Implications for dialogic communication and civic engagement. International Conference on Communication and Mass Media. Athens, Greece
Ebrahim, H., Seo, H. & . (03/01/2015 - 03/31/2015). Visual framing of democracy by Middle Eastern universities: A content analysis of Twitter images in higher education public relations. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Midwinter Conference. Norman, OK
Seo, H. & Thorson, S. (02/01/2015 - 02/28/2015). Empathy in public diplomacy: U.S. academic science engagement with North Korea. Center on Public Diplomacy Conference on Public Diplomacy and International Development. Los Angeles, CA
Seo, H., Thorson, S. & . (12/01/2014 - 12/31/2014). Global Internet connectedness 2002-2011. International Conference on Combinatorial Optimization and Applications. Maui, Hawaii
Seo, H. & . (11/01/2014 - 11/30/2014). Social media and visual propaganda. CERN Workshop on Emerging Trends in the Social Media Domain. Singapore
Seo, H. & . (08/01/2014 - 08/31/2014). Role of visuals in the Syrian conflict: Toward a theoretical model of visual propaganda in the social media age. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Montreal, Canada
Seo, H., Thorson, S. & . (05/01/2014 - 05/31/2014). Mind the gap: Network analysis and computational approaches to the global digital divide. International Communication Association. Seattle, WA
Seo, H., Ghafour, G., Harn, R. & . (05/01/2014 - 05/31/2014). Political cartoons in social media age: Visual narratives and framing of Syrian revolution on Facebook. International Communication Association. Seattle, WA
Seo, H. & . (03/01/2014 - 03/31/2014). Academic Science Engagement with DPRK. INDepth Conference. Toronto, Canada
Seo, H. & . (08/01/2013 - 08/31/2013). Visual propaganda in the age of social media: Twitter images during 2012 Israeli-Hamas conflict. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Washington, D.C.
Seo, H., Thorson, S. & . (05/01/2013 - 05/31/2013). Persistent inequalities and heavy tails in international Internet connections: 2002-2011. International Communication Association. London
Seo, H., Houston, J., Knight, L., Kennedy, E., Inglish, A. & . (08/31/2012). Why kids become mobs? An empirical analysis of youth flash mobs and social media. Paper presented to the Mass Communication & Society Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
Seo, H. (08/31/2011). Country reputation in the age of networks: An empirical analysis of online social relations and information use. Paper presented to the Communication Technology Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. St. Louis, MO
Seo, H. & Kinsey, D. (08/31/2011). Meaning of democracy around the world: A thematic and structural analysis of videos defining democracy. Paper presented to the Visual Communication Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. St. Louis, MO
Seo, H. & Kinsey, D. (06/30/2011). "Putting the Public Back" in Public Diplomacy: An Evaluation of Democracy Video Challenge Project. Paper presented to the U.S. Department of State Fourth Annual Evaluation Conference. Washington, D.C
Seo, H. & Kinsey, D. (05/31/2011). Identifying public perspectives of relationships with applications to public diplomacy. Paper presented to the Public Relations Division, International Communication Association. Boston, MA
Seo, H. (03/31/2011). Global Engagement for the 21st Century: American Public Diplomacy. Panelist, Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars, Syracuse University.
Shoemaker, P., Johnson, P., Seo, H. & Wang, X. (10/31/2010). The popularity of online news: Gatekeeping by readers in four countries. Paper presented at Convergence and Society: Science, Health, and New Dimensions of Communication, University of South Carolina.
Seo, H. (11/30/2009). Relationship management in networked public diplomacy. Paper presented to the Public Relations Division, National Communication Association. Chicago, IL
Seo, H. & Thorson, S. (09/30/2009). Networked publics in international affairs: An empirical analysis. Paper presented to the annual meeting of American Political Science Association. Toronto, ON, Canada
Seo, H. & Thorson, S. (08/31/2009). Evaluating social networking in public diplomacy. Paper presented to the International Communication Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Boston, MA
Seo, H. (08/31/2009). Media coverage of hostage taking: Source credibility and source use during Afghan hostage case. Paper presented to the International Communication Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Boston, MA
Seo, H. (08/31/2009). Negotiating with the Hermit Kingdom: A cultural perspective on North Korean nuclear talks. Paper presented to the Cultural and Critical Studies Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Boston, MA
Seo, H. (05/31/2009). How the Internet changes public diplomacy: A case study of online community run by U.S. Embassy in South Korea. Paper presented to the Information Systems Division, International Communication Association. Chicago, IL
Seo, H., Johnson, P. & Stein, J. (05/31/2009). Media framing of "axis-of-evil" leaders: A study on the effects of news framing on audiences' evaluations of foreign leaders. Paper presented to the Mass Communication Division, International Communication Association. Chicago, IL
Chock, M., Shoemaker, P., Seo, H., Johnson, P., Zhang, D. & Barthel, M. (05/31/2009). The effects of structural and content complexity on processing news. Paper presented to the Information Systems Division, International Communication Association. Chicago, IL
Seo, H. & Kim, J. (08/31/2008). How new media influence global activism: A study of transnational NGOs’ online public relations. Paper presented to the Public Relations Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Chicago, IL
Seo, H. & Lim, J. (05/31/2008). Journalists' perceptions of source credibility and the media's source use. Paper presented to the Journalism Studies Division, International Communication Association. Montreal, QC, Canada
Seo, H. (05/31/2008). What influences media coverage of North Korea? A study of journalists and news reports on the six-nation nuclear talks. Paper presented to the Mass Communication Division, International Communication Association. Montreal, QC, Canada
Shoemaker, P., Wang, X., Seo, H. & Johnson, P. (05/31/2008). What shapes the US image in the world? Deviance, personal experience, mass media. Paper presented to the Political Communication Division, International Communication Association. Montreal, QC, Canada
Seo, H. (03/31/2008). A study of the press-government relationship during multilateral talks. Paper presented to the International Communication Division. San Francisco, CA
Seo, H. (08/31/2007). Perceptions of North Korea and its leader: A comparative study of South Korean and western journalists. Paper presented to the International Communication Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Washington, D.C
Seo, H. & Lim, J. (05/31/2007). The second-level agenda-setting effects between president and the news media: A longitudinal analysis of attributes of North Korea. Paper presented to the Political Communication Division, International Communication Association Conference. San Francisco, CA
Selected Grants
Vu, Hong, (Principal), Seo, Hyunjin, (Co-Investigator), Britton, Hannah, (Co-Investigator), Chikanda, Abel , (Co-Investigator), $5,000, (05/01/2017 .
Li, Fengjun, (Principal), Seo, Hyunjin, (Co-Principal), , Establishing Social-Computational Collaboration Toward Credible Social Media, 2995000-958-INS0073037, KU Research Investment Council (Strategic Initiative Grant Level I), $206,305, Submitted 01/01/2014 (01/01/2014 . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.
Seo, Hyunjin, International Travel Fund, $1,000, (01/01/2017 - 12/31/2017) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.
Seo, Hyunjin, (Principal), Toward a Theoretical Model of Visual Propaganda in the Social Media Age, NFP0071961, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, $2,500, (01/01/2014 - 12/31/2016) . Not-for-Profit (not Foundation). Status: Funded.
Seo, Hyunjin, (Principal), Service Learning Mini Grant Award, KU Center for Civic & Social Responsibility, $500, Submitted 12/01/2014 (01/01/2015 - 05/31/2015) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.
Thorson, Stuart J, (Co-Principal), Carriere, Frederick , (Co-Principal), Seo, Hyunjin, (Co-Principal), , U.S.-DPRK Academic Science Engagement, Pacific Century Institute, $20,000, Submitted 01/01/2014 (01/01/2014 - 12/31/2014) . Not-for-Profit (not Foundation). Status: Funded.
Thorson, Stuart J, (Co-Principal), Carriere, Frederick , (Co-Principal), Seo, Hyunjin, (Co-Principal), , U.S.-DPRK Academic Science Engagement, The Henry Luce Foundation, $25,000, Submitted 01/01/2014 (01/01/2014 - 12/31/2014) . Foundation. Status: Funded.
Seo, Hyunjin, (Principal), KU Entrepreneurship Programs, $1,500, (09/01/2013 - 05/31/2014) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.
Seo, Hyunjin, (Principal), International Travel Fund, $1,000, Submitted 01/01/2013 (01/01/2013 - 12/31/2013) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.
Seo, Hyunjin, (Principal), Persistent inequalities and heavy tails in international Internet connections: 2002-2011, KU International Programs, $1,000, - 12/31/2013) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.
Seo, Hyunjin, (Principal), How to Teach Social Media, KU Center for Teaching Excellence, $1,000, Submitted 01/01/2012 (01/01/2012 - 12/31/2013) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.
Seo, Hyunjin, (Principal), Measuring Science Reputation and Non-Market Benefits of S&T Investments, $7,680, Submitted 01/01/2012 (01/01/2012 - 12/31/2013) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.
Seo, Hyunjin, (Principal), Country Reputation Measure for a Globally Networked Society, KU International Programs, $850, Submitted 01/01/2012 (01/01/2012 - 12/31/2012) . University (KU or KUMC). Status: Funded.
Knight, Leign Anne T., (Co-Principal), Seo, Hyunjin, (Co-Principal), Houston, Brian, (Co-Principal), , Kansas City Teen Project, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, $150,000, (01/01/2011 - 12/31/2012) . Foundation. Status: Funded.
Knight, Leigh Anne Taylor, (Co-Principal), Seo, Hyunjin, (Co-Principal), Houston, Brian, (Co-Principal), , Kansas City Teen Project, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, $50,000, (01/01/2011 - 12/31/2012) . Foundation. Status: Funded.
Seo, Hyunjin, (Principal), LarryvilleKU: Web and Mobile Application of OpenBlock to The Kansan, Knight Foundation; Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, $8,000, (01/01/2011 - 12/31/2012) . Foundation. Status: Funded.
Selected Awards & Honors
Excellence in Service Learning Award
Center for Civic and Social Responsibility, University of Kansas
2017
Nominated for Best Paper Award
Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences
2016
Katich Creativity Award
William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications
2015
Emerging Scholar Award
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC)
2014
Docking Faculty Scholar Award
University of Kansas
2013
Promising Professor Award
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
2013
Second Place Faculty Paper Award
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Visual Communication Division
2013
Knight Foundation Bridge Grant
Knight Foundation, AEJMC
2012
All-University Doctoral Prize for Best Dissertation
Syracuse University
2011
Top Three Faculty Paper Award
Visual Communication Division, AEJMC
2011
Phi Kappa Phi
2009 - 2011
Phi Beta Delta
2009 - 2011
Kappa Tau Alpha
2007 - 2011
Certificate in University Teaching
Future Professoriate Program, Syracuse University
2010
Newhouse Dissertation Research Grant
Syracuse University
2010
Inez Kaiser Graduate Student of Color Award
Public Relations Divsion, AEJMC
2009
Top Four Paper Award
Mass Communication Division, ICA
2008
First Place at Markham Student Paper Competition, Top Student Paper Award
International Communication Division, AEJMC
2007
Ambassadorial Scholarship
Rotary Foundation
2005
U.S. Congress-Korea National Assembly Youth Exchange Award
1999
