Aaron Hess

Aaron Hess is an Associate Professor at Arizona State University within the School of Applied Sciences and Arts. His research focuses on rhetoric, digital communication, and sociotechnical systems. Notably, he examines the intersection of ethos, technology, and AI, as well as embodied communication in social movements. Hess employs innovative ethnographic methods to study place, memory, and cultural dynamics. His work critiques contemporary issues like patriarchal structures, pandemic impacts on behavior, and the ethics of emerging technologies. Hess’s scholarship spans over two decades, with recent emphasis on AI’s ethical implications and participatory rhetorical frameworks.

Key research areas include:

• Rhetorical fieldwork and ethnography
• Embodied activism and protest rhetoric
• Technocultural ethics and AI imaginary
• Poststructuralist gender theories
• Memory studies and place-based methodologies

Hess’s articles analyze topics ranging from digital rhetoric in political campaigns to the erosion of communal ethos in modern society. His interdisciplinary approach bridges communication studies, sociology, and philosophy.