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Dr. Dana Williams-Johnson
Faculty
Faculty

Dana Williams-Johnson, PhD

Assistant Professor

  • Marketing
  • School of Business

Education & Expertise

Education

Communications

Bachelor of Arts
Howard University
2000

Publishing

Master of Professional Studies
The George Washington University
2008

Communications, Culture and Media Studies

Ph.D.
Howard University
Projected 2023

Academics

Academics

Advanced Digital Marketing

Business Communications

Business Problem Solving

Digital Marketing (graduate level)

Publication Management

Social Media Marketing

Research

Research

Funding

My research interests include: the impacts of misinformation and hate speech in online spaces, race and feminism in social media, and the societal impact of social media. My goal is to not only examine the impact that racism in online spaces has on society but to also celebrate the joy of marginalized populations and how they utilize social media to share their experiences and beauty online. 

Publications and Presentations

Publications and Presentations

Conference Presentations

Williams-Johnson, D. (2021, March 24-28). “The Impact of Sheltering in Place on Single Black Women During a Pandemic” [Conference presentation]. Eastern Communication Association 2021 Annual Conference, Virtual Conference, United States. 

Williams-Johnson, D. (2021, May 27-31). “Black Lives Matter: Fear and Protest” [Conference presentation]. International Communication Association Annual Conference 2021, Virtual Conference.

Williams-Johnson, D. (2021, November 18-22). "How Knitting Became White: Analyzing 75 Years of Vogue Knitting Magazine Covers". [Conference presentation]. National Communication Association Annual Conference 2021, Seattle, Washington, United States. 

Williams-Johnson, D. (2022, April 7-10). “COVID-19 Infodemic and the Impact of Misinformation on YouTube” [Conference presentation]. Eastern Communication Association Annual Conference 2022, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. 

Williams-Johnson, D. (2022, May 26-30). “How New Racism Masks Hate Speech Online” [Conference presentation]. International Communication Association Annual Conference 2022, Paris, France.

Content Analysis of Selective WHO-Affiliated Member Countries’ COVID-19 Vaccination Messages on Twitter Targeting Young Adults

This chapter examines how World Health Organization member countries use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to promote vaccination information and how audiences respond to the messages. The study provides insights into how global youth use social media platforms during public health crises. After viewing the advertisements, surveys administered to watchers show that less than 56% of the viewers recalled the flu campaign advertisement. Previous research has shown various responses to vaccine campaigns.

Infodemic and Misinformation on YouTube about COVID-19

In a report, The World Health Organization (WHO)(2021) claims that in the first three months of the pandemic outbreak, 6,000 people were hospitalized, and 600 died due to misinformation about COVID-19. The WHO defines that as an infodemic, online and offline information,“an overabundance of online and offline information. Various COVID-19-related misinformation spread on social media during the early days of the pandemic. Misinformation about the origin of the COVID-19 virus, treatment and prevention, and vaccination resistance (Himelein-Wachowiak et al., 2021; Kouzy et al., 2020; Shahi et al., 2020) have shaped the public’s views of and response to the global pandemic. Misinformation can be deadly and seriously affect how the public reacts to pandemics and global health events (WHO, 2020). According to Zarocostas (2020), in a 30-day circle, 361 million COVID-19-related videos would be uploaded on YouTube, and 20,000 articles have been published since the beginning of the pandemic. More than 550 million tweets included various terms of COVID-19 or pandemic. This abundance of information is problematic when global health leaders try to stop the pandemic. Infodemics have created obstacles and extra burdens for people to find reliable sources. Bombarded by infodemics and misinformation, people are “emotionally drained” and develop anxiety and depression symptoms, and it affects the fighting of the pandemic negatively (Adekoya and Fasae, 2022; Shao et al., 2021).