Shivers

Brittany Shivers

PhD Student, Journalism

Brittany Shivers’ research focuses on the psychological processing of disinformation and conspiracy theories, as well as the societal implications of information disorder exacerbated by social media. She researches how organizations, teams, and individuals can have a mindset of "READINESS" to tackle the crisis of information disorder, which includes being ready to combat disinformation spread using artificial intelligence. 

Shivers teaches journalism and PR students fundamental skills they need for writing news stories and press releases in Reporting 1: Critical Skills for Reporting and Storytelling. She conducts research as a part of the Digital Media and Cognition (DMAC) Lab team and the Crisis Insights and Analytics (CIA) Lab team.

Brittany is a recipient of the Doctoral Fellow Award issued by the University of Georgia Graduate School (2023), The Gordon R. Watson Award for Excellence in Mass Communication as chosen by The University of West Georgia (UWG) faculty in 2021, and the Excellence Award in Convergence Journalism also chosen by UWG faculty in 2021.  

Prior to attending Grady, Brittany served as the Editor-in-Chief of UWG’s newspaper, The West Georgian, and connected with the campus and local community to report on important local issues. In 2019, Shivers completed an internship serving as a local reporter for The Newnan Times-Herald, and shortly after did some freelance work for the Times-Georgian. In 2022 while completing her master’s degree at Grady, Brittany worked at The Red & Black as the Senior Editor of Special Publications.  

Brittany enjoys coaching youth volleyball and coming home to her cat, Maisel. 

A link to Brittany’s LinkedIn page is available here.  

PEER-REFERRED SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS

Jin, Y., Shivers, B. N.*, Wang, Y., Coombs, W. T., & Van Der Meer, T. G. (2024). READINESS as a new framework for crisis management: academic-industry integrated expert insights from practitioners and scholars. Journal of Communication Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/jcom-02-2024-0034

Jin, Y., Coombs, W. T., Wang, Y., Van Der Meer, T. G., & Shivers, B. N.* (2024). “READINESS”: A keystone concept beyond organizational crisis preparedness and resilience. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 32(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.12546

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Shivers, B. N.*, & Wojdynski, B. W. (2024, August). Scrolling for the truth (or not): Perceptions of misinformation on TikTok and potential interventions. Presented at the 107th annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference, Philadelphia, PA. 

Shivers, B. N.*, Wojdynski, B. W., Park, S., Lee, J. (2024, August). Politically Microtargeted Ads on Social Media: Visual Attention, Attitudes, and Effects on Affective Polarization. Presented at the 107th annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference, Philadelphia, PA. 

Shivers, B. N.*, Norris, L., Choi, S., & Vijaykumar, S. (2024, April). Inoculating against COVID-19 conspiracies via an Instagram Filter: A cross-cultural study in the UK and the US. Accepted for presentation at the 18th biennial Kentucky Conference on Health Communication (KCHC), Lexington, KY.

Shivers, B. N.*, & Wojdynski, B. W. (2024, March). Scrolling for the truth (or not): Perceptions of misinformation on TikTok and potential interventions. Presented at the 49th annual AEJMC Southeast Colloquium regional conference, Lexington, KY.

Shivers, B. N.*, & Yeon, J. (2024, March). Virality of the Visual: A Content Analysis of ‘ConspiracyTok.’ Presented at the 49th annual AEJMC Southeast Colloquium regional conference, Lexington, KY.

Lee, JH, Shivers, B. N.*, & Karinshak, E.M. (2022, August). How Authentic Are Your Workplaces? CEO Statement Narratives on Crisis Leadership, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Paper presented at the 105th annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference, Detroit, MI. 

Seo, Y., Zhao, W., Choi, S. I., Shivers, B. N.*, Karinshak, E. M., & Jin, Y. (2022, March). How Emotional Appeals in Health Promotion Messages and User-generated Comments Impact COVID-19 Vaccination Intention: The Mediating Role of Psychological Reactance. Paper presented at the 25th annual International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC), Orlando, FL. 

RESEARCH AWARDS

First-Place Faculty Paper, Broadcast and Mobile Journalism Division, AEJMC 2024