Mass Communications

Dr. Ashton Gerding Speno

Office Phone: (618) 650-3110
Email: [email protected]

About

My research primarily focuses on issues of gender and sexuality across media and new technologies, and I am especially interested in how adolescent development relates to media use. Specifically, I have studied what young people glean from media messages (on/in television, magazines, music videos, YouTube videos, social media, advertisements) related to gender, sexualization, and health, and how internalizing those media messages relates to media production such as sexting. I also have interests in media psychology and sociology in the areas of gender, race, and social class. My research program effectively coincides with my teaching interests, as I take great joy in empowering students to think critically about how media and communication technologies impact culture and individuals.

Education

Ph.D. in Communication, University of Missouri
M.A. University of Delaware
B.A. in Communication, University of Missouri

Selected Publications

Daniels, E. A., Dajches, L., Terán, L., Gahler, H., Choi, H. J., Speno, A., & Stevens Aubrey, J. (2024). The Sexual Landscape of Youth: How Adolescents From the U.S. Make Sense of Sexting. Journal of Adolescent Research, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/07435584241231448

Speno, A. G., & Lewallen, J. (2022). #Realbodies: Exploring the impact of women empowerment advertisements. In S.S. LeBlanc & K.M. Hopper (Eds.), One size does not fit all: Undressing the performance of bodies in popular culture. Lexington.

Speno, A. G., & Halliwell, D. (2021). “It’s not just talking about the birds and the bees anymore”: Parent-child communication about sexting. Atlantic Journal of Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15456870.2021.2009481

Aubrey, J. S., Speno, A. G., & Gamble, H. (2020). Appearance versus health framing of health advice: Assessing the effects of a YouTube channel for adolescent girls. Health Communication, 35(3), 384-394. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2018.1564955

Speno, A. G. & Aubrey, J. S. (2019). Adolescent sexting: The roles of self-objectification and
internalization of media ideals. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 43(1), 88-104. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684318809383

Speno, A. G. & Aubrey, J. S. (2018). Sexualization, youthification, and adultification: A content analysis of images of girls and women in popular magazines. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 95(3), 625-646, https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699017728918

Recent Grants

External

2021-2025: 1.231.110,00 HRK - Croatian Science Foundation “Nature and determinants of sexting among adolescents and youth: A cross-national study”. Dodaj, A. Banai, I. P., Pakšić, B. H., Šimić, K., Speno, A. G.
2018-2020: $100,000 - Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media & Child Development “The New Norms of Adolescence: Examining Predictors and Consequences of Sexting”. Aubrey, J. S., Daniels, E., Choi, H. J., Speno, A. G.  

Internal

2022-2023: $12,500 - Vaughnie Lindsay New Investigator Award “An Examination of the Intersection of Gender and Race in Tween Television Programming”. Speno, A.G.

Courses Taught

MC 500: Mass Communication Theory
PHIL 481: Media Ethics
MC 403: Cultural Studies
IS 353: Representing Women’s Bodies
MC/WMST 351: Women in Mass Communications
MC 202: Media Writing
MC 201: Mass Media in Society