Keith N Hampton
Professor | Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI, UNITED STATES
Keith Hampton enjoys sharing and exploring new research across disciplines, & introducing students to the study of social network analysis.
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Biography
Keith Hampton, Ph.D., enjoys sharing and exploring new research across disciplines, and introducing students to the study of social network analysis. He is a focused teacher whose research-rich style brings concepts to life through the study of media and information theory and methods. Hampton studies community and the relationship between digital technologies, social networks, democratic engagement and the urban environment.
Hampton received his doctorate and Master of Arts in sociology from the University of Toronto, and his Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in sociology from the University of Calgary. Before joining the faculty at MSU, he was the Endowed Professor in Communication and Public Policy and Co-Chair of the Social Media & Society Cluster in the Department of Communication in the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers. Other previous posts include assistant professor at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania; as well as Assistant Professor of Technology, Urban and Community Sociology, and Endowed Class of ’43 Chair in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
When he’s not teaching or researching, Hampton spends time working on his small local farm and doing projects with his two boy. He also shares his Okemos home with his wife, Brenda, pet tortoise named Happy, and various chickens, ducks, goats and a goose.
Industry Expertise (2)
Research
Education/Learning
Areas of Expertise (5)
Social Capital
Communication
Sociology
Social Networks
Urban Studies
Accomplishments (3)
William F. Ogburn Career Achievement Award (professional)
2022 American Sociological Association
Best Paper Award (professional)
2022 12th International Conference on Social Media & Society
Brandt Fellowship for Faculty Excellence (professional)
2022 College of Communication Arts and Sciences, Michigan State University
Education (3)
University of Toronto: Ph.D., Sociology 2001
University of Toronto: M.A., Sociology 1998
University of Calgary: B.A., Sociology 1996
Affiliations (5)
- Social Network Mechanisms : Editorial Board
- Studies in Digital Inequalities : Editorial Board
- Journal of Computer Mediated Communication : Editorial Board
- Information, Communication and Society (iCS) : Editorial Board
- Sociological Forum : Editorial Board
Links (5)
News (5)
Disconnection, not teens' screen time, is the problem
Phys.org online
2022-11-03
Keith Hampton, a professor in the Department of Media and Information and director of academic research in the Quello Center, says he doesn't worry about screen time—he worries about adolescents who are disconnected because they have limited access to the internet.
Stop blaming Facebook for Trump’s election win
The Hill online
2016-11-23
Facebook didn’t decide the election. And Donald Trump is certainly not going to be the next president of the United States because of his ability to wage a successful Twitter war with celebrities and news outlets.
Using Facebook and Twitter a lot can actually decrease stress — if you’re a woman
The Washington Post online
2015-01-15
Three things make this study stand out, said Keith N. Hampton, a Rutgers University communications professor and the paper's lead author.
Technology Is Not Driving Us Apart After All
The New York Times online
2014-01-17
In September 2008, two graduate students working for Keith Hampton, a professor at Rutgers, raised a camera atop a 16-foot tripod to film...
How Technology Makes Us Better Social Beings
Smithsonian Magazine online
2011-07-10
Keith Hampton, a sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, is starting to poke holes in this theory that technology has weakened our relationships. Partnered with the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, he turned his gaze, most recently, to users of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Event Appearances (3)
Persistent and Pervasive Community: How Social Media Maybe Transforming Our Relations and Democracy
Social Ties and Citizenship: Interactions and Social Cohesion (COES 2017) Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Viña del Mar, Chile
The Spiral of Silence in Social Media
Colloquium in honor of Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann’s 100th anniversary of her birthday University of Mainz, Germany
Connected, Committed and Social? The Consequences of Computing for Relationships
SIGCSE 2015, ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education Kansas City, MO
Journal Articles (5)
Disconnection More Problematic for Adolescent Self-Esteem than Heavy Social Media Use: Evidence from Access Inequalities and Restrictive Media Parenting in Rural America
Social Science Computer Review2022 Some argue that social media use displaces time that adolescents spend with friends and family and is therefore associated with lower psychological well-being. They reason that young people who experience “disconnection,” because their parents actively restrict media use, or they have limited material access to the Internet, are better protected from psychological harm. Prior research has misspecified and exaggerated the magnitude of the relationship between screen time and adolescent psychological well-being.
New media use and the belief in a just world: awareness of life events and the perception of fairness for self and injustice for others
Information, Communication & Society2021 The disclosure of life events is among the most common behaviors on social media and is part of the everyday activities revealed through the use of many other new media. This paper explores the awareness of major life events through these media as they relate to a person’s belief in a just world for themselves and others.
How variation in internet access, digital skills, and media use are related to rural student outcomes: GPA, SAT, and educational aspirations
Telematics and Informatics2021 Some have pointed to divides in the availability of fixed home broadband Internet access as a contributor to rural students’ lower levels of educational attainment. Based on standardized exams (SAT Suite) and a survey of rural Michigan students in grades 8–11, we find that rural students with broadband home Internet access are more interested in school and leave homework incomplete less often.
Mobile Phones Will Not Eliminate Digital and Social Divides: How Variation in Internet Activities Mediates the Relationship Between Type of Internet Access and Local Social Capital in Detroit
Social Science Computer Review2020 This study examines the relationship between mode of Internet access, variety of online activities, and the potential for the Internet to contribute to local social capital in distressed, urban communities. Based on a sample of 525 telephone surveys in Detroit, findings show that breadth of access predicts participation in a larger variety of online activities, which is associated with higher levels of local social capital.
Social media and political discussion: when online presence silences offline conversation
Information, Communication & Society2016 This paper explores the relationship between the use of social media, attitudinal strength, perceived opinion agreement with social ties, and willingness to discuss a political issue in different online and offline contexts. Unlike the anonymous environment of some Internet forums, social media are closely tied to the relationships and activities of everyday life.
