The Lab

“Making Sense of a Networked World”

Watch a short video about the Social Media Lab at Ryerson University in Toronto, CanadaThe Social Media Lab is an interdisciplinary research center at the Ted Rogers School of Management, part of Toronto Metropolitan University. The lab examines how social media and digital technologies are transforming the way people and organizations communicate, share information, conduct business, and foster communities. It also examines the broader impact of these shifts on society. Through its research, the lab aims to help the public better understand both the benefits and potential downsides of adopting new technologies with a focus on combating and managing the spread of misinformation and disinformation.

The Lab was established in 2010 and is the first of its kind in North America. It is led by co-directors Anatoliy Gruzd (PhD) and Philip Mai (JD). The Lab is internationally recognized and attracts a diverse range of outstanding multidisciplinary scholars from around the world each year. It is a leader in social media studies and is the founder of the International Conference on Social Media and Society (#SMSociety).

In addition to conducting original empirical research and producing public reports around matters of public interest, the Social Media Lab also develops research apps, tools, and information dashboards to support social science research on online participation. Some of the Lab’s research tools, such as Communalytic and Netlytic.org (Superseded), PoliDashboard.org, NoteTracker.socialmediadata.org, DeepfakesTracker.org and  ConflictMisinfo.org, are used by thousands of students, educators, researchers, analysts and journalists worldwide each year.

Co-Directors

Anatoliy Gruzd

Anatoliy Gruzd, PhD
Director of Research – Social Media Lab

Canada Research Chair | Royal Society of Canada College Member| Professor – School of Information Technology Management, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada

MA, JD | Director of Business and Communications - Social Media Lab, Ted Rogers School of Management | Manager of Academic Communications - University Relations, Ryerson University, Canada

Philip Mai, JD
Executive Director – Social Media Lab

Co-founder of the International Conference on Social Media & Society | Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada

Collaborators

  • Caroline Haythornthwaite, PhD
    Research Collaborator
    Professor Emerita at Syracuse University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
  • Jenna Jacobson, PhD
    Research Collaborator
    Associate Professor – School of Retail Management, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada
  • Amira Ghenai, PhD
    Assistant Professor, Information Technology Management, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada
  • Felipe Soares, PhD
    Senior Lecturer in Communications and Media – Social Analytics, London College of Communication, UK
  • Jaigris Hodson, PhD
    Research Collaborator
    Associate Professor – College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Royal Roads University, Canada | Canadian Science Policy Fellow – Environment and Climate Change, Government of Canada
  • Victoria Omeara, PhD
    Research Collaborator
    Lecturer of Digital Media in the School of Arts, Media and Communication at the University of Leicester
  • Ángel Hernández-García, PhD
    Research Collaborator
    Professor – Department of Organizational Engineering, Business Administration and Statistics, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
  • Esteban Morales, PhD
    Research Collaborator
    Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Royal Roads University

Lab Members

  • William Hollingshead
    Postdoctoral Fellow
    Social Media Lab, TMU
  • Junyuan Lin
    PhD student in Management, TRSM, Toronto Metropolitan University
  • Anthony Clements
    Research Associate
    Social Media Lab, TMU
  • Renatha Giordani
    Visiting Phd Student
    PhD student, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC)
  • Alyssa Tan
    Research Assistant
    Business Technology Management, Toronto Metropolitan University
  • Anushka Noha
    Research Assistant
    Business Technology Management, Toronto Metropolitan University
  • Ricky Yu
    Software Developer and Data Scientist
    Social Media Lab, TMU

Graduate Students - Major Research Projects (MRP)

  • Ethan Clements
    MSc in Data Science and Analytics
  • Yosef Moustafa
    MSc in Data Science and Analytics
  • Justin Bleiwas
    MSc in Data Science and Analytics

Alumni

Former postdoctoral fellows

  • Rita Paulino, 2020-2021 (current position: professor at the department of PPGJOR, UFSC/Brazil)
  • Melodie Song, 2019 (current position: health systems impact fellow, Canada)
  • Deena Abul-Fottouh, 2018 – 2019 (current position: research associate and project lead, Global Nexus Task Force on Contexts, Evidence and Behaviour, McMaster University, Canada)
  • Priya Kumar, 2017 – 2018 (current position: senior data analyst, Canada)
  • Jenna Jacobson, 2017 – 2018 (current position: assistant professor, Canada)
  • Nadia Conroy, 2017 – 2018 (current position: data scientist, Canada)
  • Marc Esteve del Valle, 2015-2016 (Current position: assistant professor, Netherlands)

Former research assistants, student co-authors and visiting students

  • Vaidehi Atodaria, Graduate Student, Data Science & Analytics, 2024
    Pavleen Brar, Graduate Student, Data Science & Analytics, 2024
    Sameer Ladha, Graduate Student, Data Science & Analytics, 2024
  • Sophia Li, Undergraduate RA, Public Health, 2021-2022
  • Mackenzie Hickie, Undergraduate RA, History, 2022
  • Kelly Huynh, Undergraduate RA, TRSM, 2019-2022
  • Rebeca Chacon Cabrera, RA, TRSM, 2019-2022
  • Harsh Rajiv Agarwal, Visiting Undergraduate Student, Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (India), 2022
  • Alyssa Saiphoo, Graduate RA, PhD student, Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2020-2021
  • Donald Patterson, Graduate RA, TRSM MBA, 2019-2020
  • Isabelle Roman, Undergraduate RA, Sport Media, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2019-2021
  • Jessica Patterson, WHO COVID-19 Fact-checking Project Coordinator, 2020-2021
  • Bailey Parnell, Thesis Student, MA in Communications & Culture, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2018-2020
  • Lilach Dahoah Halevi, Graduate RA, PhD student, Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2018-2020
  • Tahmina Akhter, Thesis student, Master of Science in Management, TRSM, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2018-2020
  • Irina Gorea, Graduate RA, Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM), Toronto Metropolitan University, 2019-2020
  • Tahoor Qureshi, Thesis student, Master of Science in Management, TRSM, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2018-2019
  • Zahra Vahedi, Graduate RA, Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2019-2020
  • Felipe Soares, Visiting PhD Student in Communication and Information, Universidade Federal de Pelotas (Brazil), 2019-2020
  • Oluwatomilayo (Tomi) Adegbite, Undergraduate RA, Faculty of Science, Computer Science, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2018-2020
  • Arvin Jagayat, Practicum Student, Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2019
  • Sreekanth Thimiri Madamana, Visiting Undergraduate Student, Computer Science & Engineering, National Institute of Technology Agartala (India), 2019
  • Liu (Leo) Zhuqing, Visiting Undergraduate Student, Network and New Media, Shanghai International Studies University (China), 2019
  • Julia Ho, Graduate RA, Faculty of Communication & Design, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2019
  • Sarah Gilbert, PhD Student Collaborator, Information School, University of British Columbia, 2015-2018
  • Jill Liu, Visiting Master’s Student, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University (Canada), 2019
  • Michael Pacheco, Undergraduate RA, Faculty of Science, Computer Science, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2016-2018
  • Di (Corrine) Yang, Visiting Undergraduate Student, Sociology, Fudan University (China), 2018
  • Jordan Kilfoy, Undergraduate RA, Faculty of Science, Computer Science, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2017
  • Kary Jiang, Undergraduate RA, TRSM, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2017
  • Alyssa Torres, Undergraduate RA, TRSM, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2017
  • Stephanie Tran, Undergraduate RA, TRSM, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2017
  • Kamran Mirshahi, Undergraduate RA, Faculty of Science, Computer Science, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2017
  • James Lannigan, Graduate RA, Sociology, University of Toronto, 2016-2018
  • Bradly Dahdaly, Undergraduate RA, TRSM, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2016
  • Anantha Soogoor, Undergraduate RA, TRSM, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2016-2017
  • Jaeduk Seo, Undergraduate RA, Faculty of Science, Computer Science, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2016-2017
  • Paarth Arora, Undergraduate RA, Faculty of Science, Computer Science, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2016
  • Ben O’Bright, PhD Student Collaborator, Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University, 2015-2016
  • Nick (Yueh-Ching) Lin, Graduate RA, TRSM, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2015-2016
  • Dimitrina Dimitrova, Research Associate, Social Media Lab, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2015
  • Veronica Chernyavsky, Undergraduate RA, TRSM, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2015-2016
  • Raghunath Soogoor, Undergraduate RA, Seneca College, York University, 2017
  • Francisco Grajales, Visiting PhD Student, The eHealth Strategy Office & Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia, 2015-2016
  • Gokul Sundararajan, Graduate RA, TRSM, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2015
  • Nathan LaPierre, Undergraduate/Graduate RA, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, 2013-2016
  • Shawn Menzies, Undergraduate RA, TRSM, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2015
  • Lee Wilson, Graduate RA, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University, 2013-2014
  • Andrea Kampen, Graduate RA, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University. 2013-2014
  • Richard Pannell, Undergraduate RA, College of Sustainability, Dalhousie University, 2014-2015
  • Andrey Kulakevich, Undergraduate RA, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, 2014
  • Samantha Fritz, Graduate RA, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University, 2013-2014
  • Carlisle Kent, Graduate RA, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University. 2014
  • Kaitlin Haley, Graduate RA, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University, 2013-2014
  • Sarah Visintini, Graduate RA, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University, 2013-2014
  • Tomasz Niewiarowski, Graduate RA, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, 2012-2013
  • Madeline Driscoll, Graduate RA, Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University, 2012-2013
  • Catherine McGoveran, Graduate RA, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University, 2012-2013
  • Ryan Dyck, Graduate RA, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University, 2012-2013
  • Ashley Greene, Practicum Student, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, 2012
  • Axel Soto, Web Developer, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, 2012
  • Raheleh Makki, Web Developer, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, 2012
  • Özge Yeloglu, Web Developer, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, 2012
  • Marek Lipczak, Web Developer, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, 2012
  • Farhan Jamal Khan, Web Developer, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, 2012
  • Ishan Patel, Web Developer, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, 2012
  • Jennifer Yurchak, Graduate RA, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University, 2012
  • Shali Liu, Graduate RA, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, 2011-2013
  • Melissa Anez, Graduate RA, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University, 2011-2012
  • Melissa Goertzen, Graduate RA, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University, 2011-2012
  • Jamiur Rahman, Graduate RA, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, 2011-2012
  • Conrad Ng, Graduate RA, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University, 2011-2012
  • Jake Salcedo, Graduate RA, Faculty of Computer Science, E-Commerce, Dalhousie University, 2011
  • Sreejata Chatterjee, Graduate RA, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, 2010-2013
  • Thomas Robbins, Graduate RA, Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, 2010-2013
  • Amanda Wilk, Graduate RA, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University, 2010-2011
  • Kathleen Staves, Graduate RA, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University, 2010-2011
  • Yen Le, Graduate RA, Faculty of Computer Science, E-Commerce, Dalhousie University, 2010-2011
  • Anton Rosen, Undergraduate RA, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, 2010-2011
  • Mouhcine Aitounejjar, Undergraduate RA, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, 2010-2011
  • Lingyun (Peter) Ye, Graduate RA, Faculty of Science, Mathematics and Statistics, Dalhousie University, 2010-2011
  • Geoffrey Allen, Graduate RA, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University, 2010
  • Sophie Doiron, Graduate RA, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University, 2010
  • Dana Echtner, Graduate RA, School of Information Management, Dalhousie University, 2010
  • Justin Wong, Undergraduate RA, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, University of Toronto, 2009-2010

Visiting Scholars

  • Anne Suphan, Research Associate at the Institute for Law and Social Sciences at the University of Hohenheim, Germany. Collaborative project: Privacy protection and boundary management when “#sharenting” on Instagram.
  • Bree McEwan, Associate Professor, Communication, DePaul University, USA. Collaborative project: Developing measures to assess the “strength of weak ties” on Reddit.
  • Celine Yunya Song, Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong. Collaborative project: A Longitudinal Study of Discussion Networks on Weibo: Polarized Opinions on Genetically Modified Food.
  • Felipe Bonow Soares, PhD candidate, the Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Brazil. Collaborative project: Toxic Interactions and Political Engagement on Twitter.
  • Irfan Chaudhry, PhD candidate, Department of Sociology, University of Alberta, Canada. Collaborative project: Examining discourses of racism and xenophobia on Facebook.
  • Hazel Kwon, Assistant Professor, School of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Arizona State University, USA. Collaborative project: Swearing Contagion on YouTube.
  • Laurie Bonnici, Associate Professor, University of Alabama, USA. Collaborative project: Online communities of pet owners on Reddit.
  • Lina M. Gomez Vasquez, Assistant Professor, the School of Social and Human Sciences, Universidad del Este, Puerto Rico. Collaborative project: How #hcsm healthcare community uses Instagram and Twitter to communicate with each other and with the public.
  • Mark Klein, Principal Research Scientist, MIT Center for Collective Intelligence and Research Scientist, University of Zurich. Collaborative project: Using Crowd-Sourced Deliberation Mapping to Enable More Powerful Social Media Analytics.
  • Melodie Yun-Ju Song, PhD candidate, Health Policy, McMaster University. Collaborative project: Studying vaccine sentiment on YouTube.
  • Olga Boichak, Ph.D. candidate, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University. Collaborative project: Examining the Ukrainian diaspora on Facebook.
  • Raquel Recuero, Associate Professor, the Communication and Linguistics Department at Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Brazil. Collaborative project: Examining fake news, filter bubbles and political conversations during the 2018 Brazilian Presidential election.
  • Staci Zavattaro, Associate Professor, College of Health and Public Affairs, University of Central Florida, USA. Collaborative project: University Use of Social Media: Communicating the Brand Identity.