Megan Zahay

Megan Zahay is an Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication in the Department of Communications at Purchase College, SUNY, within the School of Humanities. She holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and specializes in digital cultures, platformization, and trust in online communities.

Her research focuses on how identity construction on digital platforms enables marginalized political voices to gain legitimacy and build trust. She employs a digital ethnographic approach to examine communities such as Booktubers, knitters, and homesteaders, analyzing how authenticity functions as a discursive tool to resist monetization pressures.

• Digital Cultures
• Platformization
• Trust in Online Communities
• Authenticity Discourse
• Strategic Communication
• Rhetoric of Technology

Her publications appear in Media and Communication, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, and Journalism Practice, with contributions to edited collections on digital communities and media, religion, and culture. Her recent work analyzes how vernacular users leverage authenticity to establish credibility in contrast to institutional actors who rely on professional norms.

• Media and Communication
• Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly
• Journalism Practice
• Edited Collections (2)

Megan has presented her research at major academic conferences including the National Communication Association, Association of Internet Researchers, Rhetoric Society of America, International Communication Association, and the International Society for the Study of Media, Religion, and Culture.

She advises on digital communication strategies and community engagement, particularly for content creators, journalists, religious groups, and influencers navigating platform economies. While no formal grant history is listed, her interdisciplinary work bridges communication, cultural studies, and digital sociology. She is actively contributing to the theoretical development of platform rhetorics and the affective economies of online communities.

Megan is affiliated with a vibrant academic environment at Purchase College, where she contributes to the strategic communication curriculum and mentors students in digital media research. Her work is grounded in real-world case studies of online communities, offering practical insights into trust-building and digital identity.