Cathy Hughes School of Communications

Organizer of 10th Annual Social Media Technology Conference & Workshop

In 2011, faculty at Howard University and Bowie State conducted the first annual Social Media Technology Conference and Workshop, which convened a diverse roster of scholars, professionals, and other experts in the area of social media to share their perspectives on the technical, ethical, economic, legal, political, and cultural implications of social media use.

Although many faculty members readily adopted the technology for personal and professional use, others remain wary of the academic benefits of the new technologies. In the ensuing years, educators have sought to harness the intellectual power and curiosity to develop the first wave of first social media courses.

The annual workshop is unique in that it not only examines the explosive growth in the use of social media technology in the classroom and among students, it also takes a look at how the technology is being used among diverse audiences nationally and internationally.

As social media continue to influence all areas of our lives, it is important to examine and debate not only the use of various social media tools in different contexts, but also how they change the manner in which students, academics, business owners, and the governments make use of this medium.