Research Impact

Researchers in the Department of Communication and Media use interdisciplinary methods and new computational techniques to research some of the most urgent issues in digital media, from fake news and to online gender-based and sexual harassment and wider social digital inequalities.

Our large and thriving department is outward looking, with experts on global film, international journalism and pressing social issues, such as migration, populism, nationalism, and climate change. Our expertise in visual media and arts is applied to the latest developments in the screen entertainment industries, games and VR as well as the mediation of history and memory in photography, television and exhibitions. We work with well-known international and local organisations, from Ofcom and UNESCO to social media companies such as Twitter and Whatsapp, to museums, festivals and art institutions.

Our diverse projects include studies exploring the impact of reduced access to the arts during COVID lockdowns, harmful gender norms, the relationship between children's play and politics in Latin America, and online misinformation.

New research centres founded with colleagues from across the School and Faculty, along with our many early career researchers and increasing numbers of postgraduate students, make this an exciting and lively hub of new and impactful research.

Speakout #Speakout

REF 2021: #Speakout: tackling online harassment in educational contexts

Research at the University of Liverpool enabled our students to ‘speak out’ confidentially about their experiences of online harassment in their peer groups, which has informed interventions that are tackling and de-normalising these practices in this institutional context.

Increasing the value, visibility and efficiency of cultural programming at the Olympic Games Olympic Games

REF 2021: Increasing the value, visibility and efficiency of cultural programming at the Olympic Games

Research by Dr Beatriz Garcia seeks to understand the value and impact of cultural programming at the Olympic Games.

National and Local Government Digital Strategy: Inclusion, Culture, Digital by Default Digital Inclusivity

REF 2021: National and Local Government Digital Strategy: Inclusion, Culture, Digital by Default

Collaborative research by Professor Simeon Yates and various stakeholders into the impact of restricted or non-use of social services has resulted in policy development and interventions at national and local levels.