Dr. Itai Himelboim
About: Dr. Himelboim, the Thomas C. Dowden Professor of Media Analytics and director of the SEE Suite, studies the role social media plays in news, politics and international communication. Through applying network analysis, he examines political talk and information flow.
Education
Ph.D. (2008) – School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Minnesota
M.A. (2003) – Department of Political Science (emphasis on Political communication), Tel-Aviv University
B.A. (1999) – Department of Communication and Department of Psychology, Tel Aviv University
Research Interests and Activities
Dr. Himelboim’s research involves computer-mediated social networks and their implications for political communication, international communication and the news. He examines political discussions on online forums and the micro-blogging social media Twitter, as well as international networks, based on foreign news reporting and the flow of information technologies. The role of news media, traditional and online, in political communication is examined via their websites and their presence in social media spaces.
Taking a network-related theoretical approach to research is natural to communication as a discipline, as it focuses on the relationships and communication patterns among Internet users, individuals and organizations. This is valid particularly in online spaces that merge interpersonal and mass communication. Across online technologies, Dr. Himelboim identifies the naturally occurring patterns of communications among social actors in online spaces; how these patterns indicate how we choose our information sources; who the most connected users – hubs – in these networks are; and what role news media plays in these primarily interpersonal-communication spaces.
His research has been published in top journals in the field, including Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Communication Research, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (JCMC) and Journal of Public Relations Research. These and other studies have been presented in major national and international conferences in the field.
Itai Himelboim, Araujo, T., & Maslowska, E. (Accepted). Integrating network clustering analysis and computational methods to understand communication with and about brands: opportunities and challenges. Journal of Advertising. Abstract: Brand-related content […]
Read MoreItai Himelboim & Golan, G. (2022). Social Network approach to Social Media Influencers on Instagram: The Strength of being a Nano Influencer. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 23(1), 1-13. Abstract: Emerging literature […]
Read MoreItai Himelboim, proposal accepted: “Computational Approaches to Advertising Research: Ongoing and Emerging Challenges,” panel to take place at the March 2023 annual conference of the American Academy of Advertising, Denver. […]
Read MoreItai Himelboim, proposal accepted: “Creating a Social Media Listening Center,” panel to take place at the March 2023 annual conference of the American Academy of Advertising, Denver. Abstract: Social media […]
Read MoreItai Himelboim, Borah, P., Ka Lai Lee, D., *Lee, J., Su, Y., Vishnevskaya, A., and Xiao, X. (Accepted). “What do 5G networks, Bill Gates, Agenda 21, and QAnon have in […]
Read MoreStafford, M., Itai Himelboim, Walter, D. & Ophir, Y. (Accepted). The Evolution of the Advertising Discipline Through Four Decades: A Machine Learning Scope Analysis of Themes, Topics and Methods. International Journal […]
Read MoreBorah, P., Trude, B., Binford, M., Keib, K., and Himelboim, I. (2022). “You are a disgrace and traitor to our country: Uncivil rhetoric against the ‘squad’ on Twitter.” Internet Research. […]
Read MoreItai Himelboim (December, 2021). Covid-19 Misinformation Spread on Social Media: What, Who and to What Extent? Presented at the Bucharest Security Conference Dialogues (via teleconference). Bucharest, Romania.
Read MoreJoseph T. Yun, Brittany R. L. Duff, Patrick T. Vargas, Hari Sundaram, Itai Himelboim (2020), “Computationally Analyzing Social Media Text for Topics: A Primer for Advertising Researchers,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, […]
Read MoreYun, Joseph T., Brittany R. L. Duff, Patrick T. Vargas, Hari Sundaram, and Itai Himelboim (2020), Won the best article of the year from Journal of Interactive Advertising (for 2020).”Computationally […]
Read MoreVan Noort, G., Himelboim, I., Martin, J., & Collinger, T. (2020). Introducing a model of automated brand-generated content in an era of computational advertising. Abstract: Advancements in computing, technology, […]
Read MoreGlen Nowak, Michael Cacciatore, Bart Wojdynski, Glenna Read, and Itai Himelboim are part of a University of Georgia proposal submitted in response to a National Institutes of Health call for […]
Read MoreAbstract: Cause‐related marketing (CRM) refers to the phenomenon where brands partner with causes, such as nonprofit organizations. Consumers may see some CRM partnerships as less compatible than others, however the […]
Read MoreAbstract: Individuals increasingly rely on the Internet, and social media in particular, for health-related information. A recent survey reports that 80% of Internet users search for health information online. In […]
Read MoreAbstract: The diffusion of social networking platforms ushered in a new age of peer-to-peer distributed online advertising content, widely referred to as viral advertising. The current study proposes a social […]
Read MoreAbstract: In the current highly fragmented (social) media landscape, brands must increasingly rely on their own consumers to reach out to new potential consumers. Taking a social networks approach, the […]
Read MoreAbstract: The diffusion of social networks platforms opened the door to a new age of peer to peer distributed advertising content widely referred to as viral advertising. The current study […]
Read MoreAbstract: Social movements are increasingly using social media, and Twitter in particular, to reach existing and new publics and advance their mission. While historically movements had to rely on traditional […]
Read MoreResearch Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Itai_Himelboim/publications
Teaching Specialties
Dr. Himelboim teaches in the area of new communication technologies and social networks. He developed and teaches Network Analysis of Social Media (JRMC 8240) for graduate students and Social Media Analytics (TELE 4450/NMIX 4200) at the undergraduate level. He also teaches the graduate level seminar Mass Communication and Society (JRMC 8030), focusing on new communication technologies and undergraduate classes entitled Media and Technology (Tele 3290), Digital Media Production (Tele 4290/NMIX 4110) and Media Research and Theory (Tele 3410).
