The last three years as the Irene Casteel Endowed Chair for Education, Professional, and Social Sciences at Ohio Northern University have been an amazing honor. “Meme Life: The Social, Cultural, and Psychological Aspects of Memetic Communication” was given an extended tour, which gave it the necessary exposure to earn the 2023 Top Book Award in Human Communication and Technology from the National Communication Association. Promoting the book led me to travel to Boston, Seattle, Orlando, New York City, and Dallas and have wonderful conversations about the nature of memes and their impact on digital culture. Reporters from NBC News, Scienceline, and The Ringer contacted me to discuss the intersection between digital culture and social interactions. I also had the honor to write a few opinion pieces for the Columbus Dispatch.
Perhaps the biggest impact of my tenure as the endowed chair is starting up the Irene Casteel Endowed Speaker Series to focus on “bringing to Ohio Northern University experts in the fields of education, professional studies, and the social sciences to address issues that will impact society within the next five to ten years. The intent is to go beyond traditional topics that address current trends in the field and feature more future-focused topics that will help students prepare for changes in society, culture, and the professional realms.” A combination of these foci has made me stop and reflect on where to go from here. That pause made me recall one of my favorite shows.
Sports Night was one of my destination shows in college. I enjoyed the writing, pacing, characters, and plot to the point that I would find myself in front of a television to catch the opening credits. The series finale, in particular, has a scene I keep returning to regularly. One of the last scenes of the show focuses on the phrase “Quo Vadimus?” Jeremy (played by Joshua Malina) informs the gathered group that “It’s Latin. It means, ‘Where are we going?'” The phrase is powerful in the context of the show (and I encourage you to watch the episode or series if you have not seen it before), to the point that I will regularly use it within the class towards the end of the semester. Specifically, I used it to figure out what’s next after my term as Irene Casteel is done.
My latest book, “Digital Culture in the Platform Era: Studying Celebrity, Influence, and Superstars Online,” will be released this July by Palgrave Macmillan. My publishers have done a masterful job promoting my book across the globe. They have taken the main themes of my writing, being:
- why personality, content, and reach expand beyond celebritism to the ways we socialize online,
- exploring how authentic connections survive in the era of influencers, memes, and toxic platforms, and
- considering how digital personalities captivate audiences and build communities.
I was pleased that the talented Holly McCoy could provide the cover art for the book and helped visually clarify the messaging between the covers. Many of my friends and colleagues have been kind enough to talk to me and helped me find the right words to place in the context of my scholarship. The physical artifact of this collective effort is currently on its way to the printers to start the finish stage of this process. Reflecting on this process and seeing how the last three years wore me out through the constant traveling from one city to another. Therefore, I will take a slightly different tactic to promote the book.
I will be teaching the Podcasting course in Fall 2026. That semester will be the first time that I will have taught that class. Part of teaching that class will involve the development of host and guest portfolios, including one-sheets. I have one ready for the times that I can find podcasts that focus on digital culture.
Normally, the best experiences that have on podcasts are the more free-flowing ones. It is the times that it is short notice, there is a slight skeleton to the flow of the show, and good chemistry among the hosts. Most of my experiences as a guest on shows have come from my gaming scholarship. Therefore, I have also created a one-sheet for the shows that revolve around gaming.
Beyond reducing the wear and tear of traveling, this approach should allow me to be more focused on the conversations I am having about the book. It will also allow for a broader exposure for the promotion of this wonderful book that I have spent the last decade working off and on writing.
Please check it out when it comes out in July.
