My research combines methodological rigor and creative inquiry, integrating quantitative, qualitative, and large-scale data analytics to identify digital patterns, uncover user insights, and craft meaningful data-driven stories. Applied across health, business, government, education, sports, and nonprofit sectors, my work balances practical relevance with scholarly depth.
For over a decade I have studied how digital media and data shape our world. That work appears in journals including Computers in Human Behavior, Information, Communication & Society, and Technology in Society, and it culminated in my 2025 book The Data Analytics Advantage (Oxford University Press), which connects rigorous academic insight to the practical tools needed in today’s data-driven communication fields.
Jump to Engagement · Health · AI · Inclusion · Media & culture · Funding · Philosophy
Social Media Engagement & Audience Analytics
This line of work examines audience behavior, platform strategy, and algorithmic communication. I build and test frameworks for understanding engagement across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X, often during high-stakes events or public crises.
Audience engagement on social media
Khan, M. L., & Elhersh, G. (2025). Fostering audience engagement on social media: The impact of self-determined relatedness on Facebook brand pages. Oxford Intersections: Social Media in Society and Culture. doi.org/10.1093/9780198945253.003.0027
What motivates participation and consumption
Khan, M. L. (2017). Social media engagement: What motivates user participation and consumption on YouTube? Computers in Human Behavior, 66, 236–247. doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.09.024
Public engagement in digital diplomacy
Khan, M. L., Ittefaq, M., Martinez Pantoja, Y., Raziq, M., & Malik, A. (2021). Public Engagement Model (PEM) to analyze digital diplomacy on Twitter. International Journal of Communication, 15, 1741–1769. Read the article
Much of this engagement research is tested where the stakes are highest: public health communication, where message design shapes what people understand, trust, and do.
Health Communication & Risk Messaging
Spanning global and local contexts, these studies examine digital communication in public health awareness, particularly during crises. The work evaluates frameworks such as CERC and tracks the digital footprint of diseases and protective behaviors.
The CERC framework on Instagram
Elhersh, G. A., Khan, M. L., Malik, A., Al-Umairi, M., & Alqawasmeh, H. K. (2024). Instagram for audience engagement: An evaluation of the CERC framework in the GCC nations during COVID-19. BMC Public Health, 24, 1587. doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18957-1
Credibility and influence in health messaging
Ahmed, W., Khan, M. L., Malik, A., Krishnan, S., Hardey, M., Katz, M. S., & Elareshi, M. (2025). Credibility and influence in health messaging: Examining medical professionals’ role on X in promoting N95 respirators during COVID-19. Information, Communication & Society. doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2504605
Health engagement on social platforms
Malik, A., Antonino, A., Khan, M. L., & Nieminen, M. (2021). Characterizing HIV discussions and engagement on Twitter. Health and Technology. doi.org/10.1007/s12553-021-00577-z
Alongside these applied contexts, I study how artificial intelligence is reshaping the tools, expectations, and ethics of communication itself.
Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technology
This body of work addresses the design, use, and social impact of AI systems in educational, organizational, and public communication contexts, examining how tools and user behaviors intersect to shape technology acceptance and knowledge dissemination.
AI in higher education
Malik, A., Khan, M. L., Hussain, K., Qadir, J., & Tarhini, A. (2024). AI in higher education: Unveiling academicians’ perspectives on teaching, research, and ethics in the age of ChatGPT. Interactive Learning Environments. doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2024.2409407
Audience engagement with AI content
Hussain, K., Khan, M. L., & Malik, A. (2024). Exploring audience engagement with ChatGPT-related content on YouTube: Implications for content creators and AI tool developers. Digital Business, 29(2). doi.org/10.1016/j.digbus.2023.100071
Adoption of generative AI
Ittefaq, M., Zain, A., Arif, R., Ahmad, T., Khan, M. L., & Seo, H. (2025). Factors influencing international students’ adoption of generative artificial intelligence. Journal of International Students, 15(7), 127–154. doi.org/10.32674/fnwdpn48
New tools raise an older question: who gets to participate at all. A parallel strand of my work addresses the structural barriers that shape digital access and meaningful use.
Digital Inequality, Literacy & Inclusion
These studies examine the structural and behavioral barriers that shape access to digital technologies, especially in rural, marginalized, and transitional communities. The concept of Vital Information Use (VIU) originated in this work.
Vital Information Use (VIU)
Khan, M. L., Welser, H. T., Cisneros, C., Manatong, G., & Idris, I. (2020). Digital inequality in Appalachian Ohio: Understanding how demographics, internet access, and skills shape vital information use. Telematics and Informatics, 50, 101380. doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2020.101380
Digital remediation
Welser, H. T., Khan, M. L., & Dickard, M. (2019). Digital remediation: Social support and online learning communities can help offset rural digital inequality. Information, Communication & Society. doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2019.1566485
Verify before sharing
Khan, M. L., & Idris, I. (2019). Recognize misinformation and verify before sharing: A reasoned action and information literacy perspective. Behaviour & Information Technology. doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2019.1578828
Finally, my work explores how digital communication intersects with cultural identity, consumer experience, and transnational narratives, especially in underrepresented or rapidly changing media landscapes.
Media Strategy & Cultural Narratives
Bridging analytics, media strategy, and cultural representation, this research asks how digital platforms and screen media shape markets, identities, and heritage.
Decoding Disney’s Arab and Muslim narratives
Elhersh, G., & Khan, M. L. (2024). Decoding Disney’s Arab and Muslim Narratives: A Dual Lens on Film Frames. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-66696-467-7
Naming, heritage, and identity
AlWahibi, I., Khan, M. L., & Dauletova, V. (2024). So much more than the ship of the deserts! How naming of camels preserves identity, cultural heritage, and well-being. Social Identities, 1–18. doi.org/10.1080/13504630.2024.2439793
The Arabic animation landscape
Elhersh, G. A., Khan, M. L., & Alqawasmeh, H. K. (2024). Exploring the Arabic animation film landscape: Filmmaker perspectives from seven nations. Cogent Social Sciences, 10(1), 2321975. doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2321975
Phygital retail experience
Lecointre, D., Khan, L. M., Agbokanzo, K., Mirna, B., Safaa, A., & Meatchi, S. (2026). Human-centric experience in phygital retail: A sentiment-based comparison of hybrid and traditional touchpoints. Journal of Services Marketing.
Research funding
Roles: Principal Investigator (PI), Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI), Research Associate (RA).
2023
Co-PI, Understanding Misinformation on Online Media. Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Canada (CA$6,000). Analyzed content patterns and trust dynamics on digital platforms.
2020
PI, Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication during the COVID-19 Pandemic. SMART Lab, Ohio University. Investigated digital engagement strategies in pandemic health communication.
2019
PI, Digital Inequality in Appalachian Ohio: Applications in Health, Education, Employment, and Business. SMART Lab, Ohio University ($2,500).
2016
PI, Understanding Social Media Engagement: Motivations, Barriers, and Antecedents for Online Participation. Startup Funding, Ohio University.
2015
PI, Social Media and Entrepreneurship. AURAK School of Graduate Studies and Research, Seed Grant Funding Program (AED 7,500). Examined how small businesses use social media and analytics tools to engage customers.
2013
PI, CAS Research Excellence Award. College of Communication Arts & Sciences, Michigan State University ($2,500).
2011–2012
RA, Social Media and College Aspirations. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ($253,482). PI: Dr. Nicole Ellison. Investigated social media in relationships, student well-being, and college readiness among high school students.
2011
PI, CAS Research Excellence Award. College of Communication Arts & Sciences, Michigan State University ($3,000).
2010–2011
RA, VISTA: Vertical Industry Standards & Technology Adoption. National Science Foundation ($99,922 and $292,754). PI: Dr. Charles Steinfield. Comparative analysis of industry-wide information system standards.
2009
RA, Pre-Service Teacher Education Program (Pre-STEP). USAID ($75 million program) with Michigan State University involvement, improving teacher training in Pakistan.
Funded consulting and invited research
2022–2023
Invited Consultant and Researcher, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman (USD $67,000 budget).
2019
Invited Researcher, NUST Business School, Pakistan (USD $60,000 project).
Research philosophy
The key goal of any research program should be furthering knowledge that is meaningful and centered on advancing human and societal well-being. I am fascinated by communication technologies for their potential to connect people across distance, and my research is shaped by a persistent question: how does media affect its audiences? The pervasive use of social media has created new realities, and in the age of data, understanding those realities should stay grounded in theory.
Researchers should be open to diverse perspectives, including diversity in methods and theoretical constructs. My research program rests on three tenets: engagement, relevance, and integrity. Research should be engaging for the researcher and conceived in a way that excites them. I find the questions that bridge my academic and industry experience the most stimulating of all.
Relevance means research aligned with the needs of the times and a vision for the future. Too much work is useful to some without addressing what matters to the wider society, industry, and practitioners. Media use, in particular, should be understood in a balanced way that accounts for the full range of traditional and digital sources of information, news, and entertainment.
Meaningful research must hinge on the principles of integrity at every stage of the process.
Integrity translates directly into work built to the highest standards of excellence, reflected in novel data collection, rigorous analysis, and careful interpretation. It also means clarity about roles in collaborative projects. Group work becomes daunting when responsibilities are not spelled out, and effective collaboration depends on effective communication among members.
Laeeq Khan, Ph.D. 