Mike Ananny

Mike Ananny is an Associate Professor of Communication and Journalism at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. He also holds a courtesy appointment in the USC School of Cinematic Arts' Media Arts + Practice division. His research explores how technologies and cultural practices in media production shape public life, focusing on social media, algorithms, and data infrastructures. He co-leads the Media As SocioTechnical Systems (MASTS) collective and directs the AI for Media & Storytelling (AIMS) initiative. Ananny’s academic affiliations include the USC Center on Science, Technology, and Public Life and the USC Center on Generative AI & Society. He advises the Minister of Canada’s Department of Heritage on media and technology issues.

Education: PhD in Communication (Stanford University), SM in Media Arts and Sciences (MIT Media Lab), BSc in Human Biology and Computer Science (University of Toronto).

Research interests include media ethics, algorithmic accountability, networked press freedom, and sociotechnical systems. He authored Networked Press Freedom (MIT Press, 2018) and co-edited Bauhaus Futures (MIT Press, 2019). Current work addresses the public power of silence and mediated absences, under contract with Yale University Press.

His awards include fellowships from the Berggruen Foundation (Stanford CASBS), Harvard Berkman-Klein Center, Columbia University’s Tow Center, and the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. He has advised organizations like LEGO, Microsoft Research, and Nortel Networks.

Teaching includes courses on media ethics and digital journalism. His grants include leadership roles in the Knowing Machines project and collaborations with the Annenberg Innovation Lab.

Labs/Teams: MASTS, AIMS, USC Center on Generative AI & Society, Annenberg Innovation Lab.