I am an Associate Professor in the School of Journalism & Mass Communication at the University of Iowa.

I study media work within global digital cultures. Most of my research examines global digital cultures in Kenya: through a production ethnography of community media in Nairobi’s slums, an examination of Kenya’s music video industry, and a series of co-authored articles about the intersection of digital media and popular politics. In addition, I have participated in collaborative research projects on a variety of topics, including digital journalism, travel influencers, and media activism.

I also direct the Center for Publics, Platforms, and Personalization (CP3) where I am the Principal Investigator for two interdisciplinary, multi-university, grant-funded research projects that examine (1) the relationship between algorithmic personalization and online radicalization and (2) how social media engagement practices contribute to the spread of foreign influence campaigns originating in Russia and China.

You can find my publication history on Google Scholar and Research Gate.

My teaching prepares students to be better consumers and producers of digital and social media. I also have professional experience as a software trainer, instructional technologist, and video producer.

You can reach me via email at brian-ekdale [at] uiowa.edu.