Cheryl Shea

ABOUT ME

I am currently a Ph.D. candidate studying Communication Science in the Department of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My research interests include political communication, public opinion, STS and media sociology. I received my MPhil in Communication in 2021 and B.S. in Journalism and Communication in 2019 from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Understanding political engagement via epistemic dispositions and technological affordances
• Civic resistance, resilience and engagement via sociocultural infrastructures and digital media
• Media sociology and journalism in the contexts of political contestation and hybrid regimes

EDUCATION

• B.S. Journalism and Communication, Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2019
• M.Phil. Communication, Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2021
• M.A. Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2024

PUBLICATIONS

1. Shea, C. S. Y. & Ismangil, M. (2025). Hong Kong will never die as long as there are bookstores”: Independent Bookstores in Hong Kong Amidst Diminishing Political Opportunities. Social Sciences & Humanities Open. (in print)
2. Shea, C. S. Y. & Lee, F. L. F. (2022). Public diplomacy via Twitter: opportunities and tensions. Chinese Journal of Communication, 15 (3), 449-462. https://doi.org/10.1080/17544750.2022.2081988.
3. Shea, C., Jiang, Y. & Leung, W. L. Y. (2022). David vs. Goliath: Transnational grassroots outreach and empirical evidence from the #HongKongProtests Twitter network. Review of Communication, 22 (3), 193-212. https://doi.org/10.1080/15358593.2022.2106793

SELECTED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Digital Media and Civic Participation, Resistance, and Resilience 

1. Shea, C. S.Y. (2025, June). Managing the Ephemerality of Shared News Online: Issue Controversy, Individual Perceptions, and Technological Features. Paper presented at the 75^th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Denver.
2. Shaw, B. R., Shea, C., Witzling, L., & Wolnik, D. (2025, March). Data-driven messaging grows attendance: Insights from a nationally representative survey on farmers market participation. Paper presented at the InTents Farmers Market Pros Summit, San Diego, CA.
3. Shea, C. S.Y. (2022, May). Tripartite Pathways on Legitimizing Radicalization: A Case Study of the Hong Kong Anti-ELAB Movement. Paper presented at the International Communication Association (ICA) 72nd Annual Conference, Paris, May 26 – 30, 2022.
4. Shea, C. S.Y. & Jiang, Y. & Leung, W. L. Y. (2021, Aug). Asking the Enemy of My Enemy for Help: Transnational Grassroots Outreach on Twitter in #HongKongProtests. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Annual Conference, Virtual Conference, Aug 4 – 7, 2021.
5. ​Wong, H. C. & Shea, C. S.Y. (2020, May). The Social Media Battlefield: Countermovement in the Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Bill Protests. Paper presented at the International Communication Association (ICA) 70th Annual Conference, Virtual Conference, May 20 – 27, 2020.

Media Sociology and Journalism

• Koo, A.Z.X, Shea, C.S.Y. (2024). Media’s construction of a pro-regime identity in Hong Kong: Influences from materialism and digital affordances. Present in 74th Annual ICA Gold Coast, Australia.
• Shea, C. S.Y. (2023, May). Translating the Protest Violence: Legitimizing Radicalization in Traditional and Alternative News Media in the Hong Kong Anti-ELAB Movement. Paper presented at the International Communication Association (ICA) 73rd Annual Conference, Toronto, May 25 – 29, 2023. Top Student Paper Award.
• Shea, C. S.Y. & Leung, W. L. Y. (2020, Aug). Epidemic arrives in political times: A Comparative Study of Hong Kong Newspaper Reporting on SARS and COVID-19. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Annual Conference, Virtual Conference, Aug 5 – 9, 2020.