Amber L. Ferris

Amber L. Ferris is an Interim Director and Professor in the School of Communication at the University of Akron. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Kent State University, and degrees from Michigan State University. Her research focuses on media uses and effects, particularly applying the uses and gratifications framework to study social media addiction, Facebook dependency, and digital communication behaviors. She serves as the information officer for the Human Communication and Technology division of the National Communication Association, and has held leadership roles in the Ohio Communication Association, including editor of the Ohio Communication Journal.

Education:

• Ph.D., Communication Studies, Kent State University
• M.A., Communication, Michigan State University
• B.A., English, Michigan State University

Her research explores social media impacts on interpersonal communication, mobile media technologies, and the psychological motivations behind digital self-disclosure. Recent work examines drunk dialing behaviors and 'CSI effect' perceptions of forensic science. She has published extensively on topics such as reality TV's influence on dating attitudes and altruism portrayal in media.

Professional contributions include authoring a step-by-step guide for writing literature reviews in communication studies (2014), and co-editing volumes on social media psychology (2020). Her current research interests include mobile media's social-emotional dimensions and technologies of listening, supported by an Australian Research Council postdoctoral fellowship.