The iSchools has named SC&I alumna Jinkyung Katie Park Ph.D. ’22 the runner up of the 2024 iSchools Doctoral Dissertation Award for her dissertation “Design Intervention to Reduce Online Incivility.” This accolade, which celebrates the pinnacle of scholarly achievement in the information field, recognizes the best dissertations in the information science field during 2022 - 2023. 

To identify the winners of this competition, the iSchools solicited nominations from the organization’s international members. The submissions were then reviewed by a committee of faculty from leading iSchools all over the world. From this pool Park’s dissertation was judged one of the best.  The iSchools represent an international organization of over 120 universities on all inhabited continents, and Rutgers SC&I is one of the founding iSchool members.

“Park’s dissertation represents a profound advancement in our understanding of secure and trustworthy computing,” Associate Professor Vivek Singh, Park’s dissertation advisor, said. “I am confident that her future endeavors will continue to influence the landscape of information science profoundly.”

A postdoctoral scholar at Vanderbilt University, Park will join the School of Computing, Human-Centered Computing Division, within the College of Engineering, Computing, and Applied Sciences at Clemson University in the fall as an Assistant Professor. She will be affiliated with the Media Forensics Hub, a university-wide interdisciplinary research team working to study and combat online deception. 

This accolade, which celebrates the pinnacle of scholarly achievement in the information field, recognizes the best dissertations in the information science field during 2022 - 2023. 

Park’s dissertation focused on the negative impact of online incivility, which Singh described as “a phenomenon that threatens the fabric of digital discourse and is an important challenge in the emerging cyberspace. Incivility in digital spaces not only undermines democratic discourse but also discourages participation and information-seeking, exacerbating societal polarization.”

Singh noted that Park’s dissertation was published at the ACM CSCW conference in 2022, which is one of the most prestigious venues for publishing research in social computing.

Park said the purpose of her dissertation work “was to find ways to reduce online incivility while maintaining the anonymity of online platforms to promote robust exercise in free speech.”

Theorizing that one way to encourage online incivility could be to help strengthen positive emotions for online users, Park compared the three background images (positive, neutral, and baseline) embedded in online discussion forums to identify an efficient way of reducing online incivility.

Based on data Park gathered from surveys and participants’ online comments, her results showed that positive and neutral background images may be effective in reducing online incivility.  “Given that the neutral background image was less likely to be recognized by the participants in this study,” Park wrote she found that “embedding neutral background images could be an unobtrusive yet effective strategy to reduce uncivil conversations on online discussion forums.”

“The results from this study can motivate social media designers and developers to consider and test other creative ways of exposing users to positive emotions, especially when the discussion forums focus on controversial topics,” Park said. “For instance, the designer can create interactive elements that support the generation of positive emotions such as positive imagery on side banners or loading screens. With the growing adoption of immersive online content (e.g., VR/AR), the development of ‘calm’ technologies and design decisions on what is shown in the peripheries will be just as important as what is shown in the central region. Such approaches may be explored to counter different kinds of online risks such as cyberbullying, sexual harassment, and more.” 

Park’s overall research program focuses on human-computer interaction to promote the online safety of vulnerable populations. Her research focuses on the interplay between online safety, social computing, and human-centered AI/ML.

“Online technologies offer many benefits for individuals and society, but they also pose various risks, especially for vulnerable populations such as children and adolescents,” Park wrote. “How can we design and develop sociotechnical systems that promote the digital well-being of these users, while respecting their human values and needs? To address this overarching question, I take two broad approaches, human-centered design and human-centered AI, to create safe, inclusive, and empowering sociotechnical systems for vulnerable populations.  For human-centered design, I apply human theories (e.g., theories of positive emotions) to design and test online environments that can reduce unsafe interactions. I also work with adolescents to co-design online safety solutions to bridge the gaps between their unique developmental needs and the systems designed to keep them safe from various online risks. For human-centered AI, I build and evaluate machine learning models for online safety applications, such as misinformation detection and risky image detection. I particularly focus on the ethical and social implications of using AI-based systems for online safety and incorporate human values such as fairness into my work.”

Park said the purpose of her dissertation work “was to find ways to reduce online incivility while maintaining the anonymity of online platforms to promote robust exercise in free speech.”

Park’s research has been published in the ACM community, including conferences such as CSCW, CHI, IDC, and Web Science Conference. Additionally, she has contributed to broader interdisciplinary discussions through publications in journals such as JMIR Formative Research and Human Factors in Healthcare.

While a doctoral student at SC&I, Park was named Outstanding Graduating Student in the area of Information Science. This honor, Singh said, is bestowed on one graduating student each year recognizing their strong scholarly contributions to the field.

“I am thrilled and honored to receive the iSchool Doctoral Dissertation Award (Runner-up),” Park said. “First and foremost, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my Ph.D. advisor, Dr. Vivek Singh, for his unwavering support and mentorship. Ph.D. is not without challenging times. His guidance, encouragement, and patience have been invaluable throughout this journey.  A special thank you to my committee members, Dr. Katherine Ognyanova (Associate Professor at SC&I), Dr. Kaitlin Costello (Associate Professor at SC&I), and Dr. Sara Pixley (formerly the Executive Director of and faculty member at the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science (RuCCS)), for their insightful feedback and dedicated support, which significantly enhanced my dissertation. I would like to thank the professors, administration, and staff members from the School of Communication and Information for their help and support in every way.

“Finally, a big shoutout to my amazing cohorts and colleagues from the School of Communication and Information and the Behavioral Informatics Lab for their friendship and assistance. I was very fortunate to have such motivating and kind colleagues throughout. I am truly privileged to have had my Ph.D. journey at SC&I.”

Learn more about the Ph.D. Program at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information on the website.

Photos: Courtesy of Katie Park and Vivek Singh