Communication Department Faculty
Soyun Ahn
Assistant Professor
Soyun Ahn
Ph.D.
Contact
Telephone: 617-552-6057
Email: soyun.ahn@bc.edu
Education
- University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism Ph.D., Communication
Courses
Communication Research: Mixed Methods
Globalization and the Media
Research Interests
At the intersection of global communication, science and technology studies, and tourism studies, her research explores how global digital data flows and the physical movement of people shape, and are shaped by, locally grounded contexts.
Department
Profile
Soyun Ahn is an Assistant Professor in the Communication Department at Boston College. At the intersection of global communication, science and technology studies, and tourism studies, her research explores how global digital data flows and the physical movement of people shape, and are shaped by, locally grounded contexts. She is currently working on a book project, “The Algorithmic Traveler”, which investigates how algorithms, data, and platforms are transformingtourism mobilities.
At Boston College, she teaches courses such as Communication Research: Mixed Methods and Globalization and the Media. In her teaching, she brings global perspectives into the classroom to encourage students to think critically about every communication and technology.
She holds a Ph.D. in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. Her dissertation, “Mapping Platform Friction: Platformizationfrom the Ground Up” examined local alternatives to Google Maps across three settings: roadtrips in the United States, walking pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and everyday navigation in South Korea. This work received a student paper award and was featured by CNN.
Her research has appeared in journals including the International Journal of Communication, Information, Communication and Society, and Social Science Computer Review. Before entering academia, she studied law and worked in the IT industry, and she also holds a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She occasionally contributes movie reviews to Cine21, South Korea’s leading film magazine.