About Xiaowen Xu

Welcome to my Comm world!

I am an assistant professor in strategic communication (advertising and public relations) at Butler University. I’ve also taught Communication Theory, Research Methods and Mass Media courses before. I am a Ph.D. candidate (ABD) in Communication from University of Connecticut (UConn). I gained my M.A. in Communication from Michigan State University, and M.A. in East Asian Regional Studies from Columbia University. My undergraduate degree is B.A. in Journalism at Tsinghua University (China).

My research interest involves examining users’ motivation and perceptions through the adoption of new media technology and processing of persuasive messages with quantitative methods. I have been working on media effects projects regarding cognitive, emotional and behavioral responses in consumer, health and pro-environmental behavior contexts.

My works have been published in Internet Research, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, American Behavioral Scientist and other journal outlets, and presented at national and international conferences. My recent research centers on innovative advertising forms in various online platforms, especially in-feed or native advertising on social media and websites. I’ve also served as ad-hoc reviewers for journals including Internet Research, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, and Telematics and Informatics.

My professional experiences and exposure is mainly in news organizations including Xinhua News Agency (China’s national news agency), an advertising agency, as well as cultural and international trade/business NGOs where I assisted with event-planning, advertising/marketing and research.