Joey Schafer

Mary Gates Research Scholar, Autumn 2021

Research Project: Impact of Spotlighting on Misinformation Spreaders

Project Description: I am working to understand the impact that being amplified on social media by a prominent influencer has on small accounts – for example, if their engagement with the platform changes, or their frequency of posting misinformation.

What have you learned throughout your research project?

I’ve learned a lot about the research process, such as how to generate specific, useful research questions and how to collect and subset data for a useful and tractable set for analysis. 

What piece of advice do you have for future applicants?

Your advisor’s support in helping to design your study, and with writing your application, is incredibly valuable.