Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations Assistant Professor Jeannettee Iannacone was honored with the James E. Grunig and Larissa A. Grunig Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation Award at the 2024 International Communication Association Conference (ICA).
Iannacone was part of a group of College of Communication and Information doctoral students and faculty members from the Tombras School and the School of Journalism and Media (JEM) representing the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, at the prestigious conference in June.
JEMa Assistant Professor Mustafa Oz said ICA is a highly important conference in the communication field, attracting thousands of academics and scholars from around the world each year. He added it is a great opportunity for graduate students to network, meet with other scholars in their academic area, and potentially form collaborations.
Iannacone had been informed that she won the James E. Grunig and Larissa A. Grunig Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation Award a few months before the conference, and presented a part of the dissertation research at the conference. This was Iannacone’s second time going to ICA.
“I was really excited. I was just kind of in disbelief, in part because I’ve been doing this research for years now and you’re at the stage where you just keep rewriting it, sending it out, rewriting it, sending it out,” she said, “So to know that people thought it was important was really very nice.”
Her awarded research focuses on how recent migrants perceive their social networks within the United States. and Afghanistan and how organizations who support migrants perceive theirs.
“I looked specifically at recent Afghan refugees within the mid-Atlantic area because it was during a time when we were seeing a mass migration from that population due to the events going on in Afghanistan. I looked at both a public and organizational perspective,” she said.
Iannacone has always been interested in transnational movements because she moved to Belgium at a young age and later worked with migrants post-graduation.
“I did work for AmeriCorps Vista back in my home state, working with refugees and undocumented individuals just going through the school system,” she said.
CCI Research Well-Represented At ICA
Several CCI faculty and doctoral students attended the conference and presented their research.
Faculty and doctoral students who attended and presented included the Tombras School assistant professors, Iannacone, Matthew Pittman, and Sifan Xu and doctoral student Mokhlisur Rahman. Joining Oz from JEM were assistant professor Martin Riedl and doctoral students Ariel Newell and Paige Hill.
This year’s conference was Hill’s first time attending and presenting her research at ICA. When she learned she would be presenting her research at ICA, her reaction was a mix of excitement and nervousness.
“My first ICA experience was incredibly rewarding and I learned so much that I will take with me in the future,” said Hill, who is pursuing her PhD with a concentration in journalism and media. “It was inspiring to watch and have discussions with researchers from diverse backgrounds who all shared similar passions. If it hadn’t been for the support I received from both the College of Communication and Information and School of Journalism and Media, I would not have been able to travel to Australia for this opportunity.”
Her research—titled “Instagram Ideals: College Women’s Body Image and Social Comparison”— originated from her master’s thesis, which she worked on alongside Oz. She decided to conduct this research after reading an alarming statistic on body dissatisfaction among college women. She wanted to explore how social comparison on Instagram contributes to these issues.
“We see this research benefiting society by raising awareness of the adverse effects of social comparison on Instagram, particularly among college women,” Hill said. “By highlighting these issues and the ways users adapt their behaviors to overcome negativity, we hope to inform strategies to promote healthier digital habits.”
Oz said he believes this research offers practical implications for social media policymakers as well as educators. He added that Hill performed amazingly well and believes attending ICA was a great experience for her. He hopes other CCI doctoral students took full advantage of the conference to network and grow as scholars.
Newell, who is also pursuing her PhD with a concentration in journalism and media, was part of the Sports and Identities: Navigating New and Contested Spaces panel.
This was Newell’s second time attending ICA and she thoroughly enjoyed her time. Newell said she found the keynote speakers during the opening reception to be the most fascinating given her interest in studying the impact of sports on global human rights.
“It was super fun learning so much and being with like-minded people who researched things so closely related to my own interests,” Newell said. “The good coffee and academic conversations made this year’s ICA beyond memorable, and I thank our college, the UT Graduate Student Senate, and our department for supporting my endeavors.”