Krysten Stein
Biographic Data
| ID | 6537182 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Krysten Stein |
| GIVEN NAMES | Krysten |
| FAMILY NAME | Stein |
| SIGNATURE | STEIN K |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Illinois Chicago |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4507-3898 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 9 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 9 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2021 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Scrolling for sanity, performing for the algorithm
Drawing on 42 semi-structured interviews with US-based clinicians, this study examines how licensed mental health professionals navigate TikTok’s governing infrastructures while attempting to educate and care for audiences within an algorithmically curated attention economy. It identifies three interlocking pressures: (a) engagement-optimisation systems that reward affectively charged, trend-aligned posts, making clinically nuanced communication …
Humilitainment 2.0
Reality-based crime television has long shaped public understandings of policing, crime, and punishment by turning law enforcement encounters into consumable spectacle. As these narratives migrate into engagement-driven platform infrastructures, where recommendation systems and interactive features reshape how policing media is packaged, encountered, and monetized, their cultural impact is reconfigured. This article examines COPSTV, the official …
From Screen to Store
This paper examines how Love Island: USA Season 6 integrates e-commerce, brand partnerships, and influencer practices into its narrative structure and digital infrastructure. Focusing on the shop the villa feature of the show’s app, we analyze how the series synchronizes emotional investment with consumer action. Drawing on qualitative content analysis of episodes, a walkthrough study of the app, and thematic analysis of branded social media camp…
“Not a Detour from Rigor”
This article argues that care — especially care grounded in Black feminist traditions — is not an affective supplement to teaching but rather the radical foundation of liberatory pedagogy. Amid rising attacks on critical education and the austerity logics of the neoliberal university, the authors theorize care as infrastructure, method, and resistance. Drawing from the work of bell hooks, Audre Lorde, Patricia Hill Collins, Mia Mingus, and Leah L…
This program was brought to you by the algorithm
The days of television have repeatedly been deemed over. Today, we are told, television is a dying medium replaced by viral and new digital platforms like TikTok where millions gather every day to consume content. This paper is an extended literature review of television and TikTok scholarship to highlight similarities and differences amongst key concepts in both fields. By focusing on political economy, textual analysis, and audience/reception s…
Social Media as a Key Actor in Redefining Healthcare Industry Dynamics
This panel argues that social media is a key actor in the health and wellness industries, influencing how users participate in discussions and conversations related to wellbeing, health, and embodied experience. Drawing together interdisciplinary qualitative methods to advocate for a critical, feminist approach, the panel focuses on the influence of health-related social media content on users, as well as the effects of these platforms on profess…
You better work! Drag queen performativity and visibility on #dragqueen TikTok
The 2000s brought the proliferation of drag culture in the United States with RuPaul’s Drag Race , drag brunches and drag cabaret performances. In addition to the televisual, specifically reality television, drag queens also have gained visibility on a plethora of social networking sites like TikTok. Moreover, TikTok has gained rapid popularity with young adults since its international inception in 2016. Given that a large majority of TikTok user…
You’re not here for the right reasons!” From The Bachelorette to Instagram Influencer
Despite vast research on reality television (RTV) and The Bachelor (2002) franchise specifically, most scholarship focuses on its appeal or negative impact on viewers. The inclusion of social media analysis is under-used in research on the series or any of its offshoots. Our work, however, analyzes how the women of The Bachelorette make the transition to influencer status on Instagram. Through critical visual analysis, we build on the theoretical…
We ‘said her name’ and got zucked”
Scholars have grown concerned around the increasing carceral logics embedded in social media practices. In this essay, we explore the process of getting “zucked” as a trend within digital platforms that disproportionately punishes minoritized digital users. Specifically, Black women report that with the advent of increased safety measures and policies to secure users on digital platforms, they become subject to harms of the institutional practice…
We ‘said her name’ and got zucked”
Scholars have grown concerned around the increasing carceral logics embedded in social media practices. In this essay, we explore the process of getting “zucked” as a trend within digital platforms that disproportionately punishes minoritized digital users. Specifically, Black women report that with the advent of increased safety measures and policies to secure users on digital platforms, they become subject to harms of the institutional practice…
You’re not here for the right reasons!” From The Bachelorette to Instagram Influencer
Despite vast research on reality television (RTV) and The Bachelor (2002) franchise specifically, most scholarship focuses on its appeal or negative impact on viewers. The inclusion of social media analysis is under-used in research on the series or any of its offshoots. Our work, however, analyzes how the women of The Bachelorette make the transition to influencer status on Instagram. Through critical visual analysis, we build on the theoretical…
You’re not here for the right reasons!” From The Bachelorette to Instagram Influencer
Despite vast research on reality television (RTV) and The Bachelor (2002) franchise specifically, most scholarship focuses on its appeal or negative impact on viewers. The inclusion of social media analysis is under-used in research on the series or any of its offshoots. Our work, however, analyzes how the women of The Bachelorette make the transition to influencer status on Instagram. Through critical visual analysis, we build on the theoretical…
We ‘said her name’ and got zucked”
Scholars have grown concerned around the increasing carceral logics embedded in social media practices. In this essay, we explore the process of getting “zucked” as a trend within digital platforms that disproportionately punishes minoritized digital users. Specifically, Black women report that with the advent of increased safety measures and policies to secure users on digital platforms, they become subject to harms of the institutional practice…
You better work! Drag queen performativity and visibility on #dragqueen TikTok
The 2000s brought the proliferation of drag culture in the United States with RuPaul’s Drag Race , drag brunches and drag cabaret performances. In addition to the televisual, specifically reality television, drag queens also have gained visibility on a plethora of social networking sites like TikTok. Moreover, TikTok has gained rapid popularity with young adults since its international inception in 2016. Given that a large majority of TikTok user…
Social Media as a Key Actor in Redefining Healthcare Industry Dynamics
This panel argues that social media is a key actor in the health and wellness industries, influencing how users participate in discussions and conversations related to wellbeing, health, and embodied experience. Drawing together interdisciplinary qualitative methods to advocate for a critical, feminist approach, the panel focuses on the influence of health-related social media content on users, as well as the effects of these platforms on profess…
Scrolling for sanity, performing for the algorithm
Drawing on 42 semi-structured interviews with US-based clinicians, this study examines how licensed mental health professionals navigate TikTok’s governing infrastructures while attempting to educate and care for audiences within an algorithmically curated attention economy. It identifies three interlocking pressures: (a) engagement-optimisation systems that reward affectively charged, trend-aligned posts, making clinically nuanced communication …
Humilitainment 2.0
Reality-based crime television has long shaped public understandings of policing, crime, and punishment by turning law enforcement encounters into consumable spectacle. As these narratives migrate into engagement-driven platform infrastructures, where recommendation systems and interactive features reshape how policing media is packaged, encountered, and monetized, their cultural impact is reconfigured. This article examines COPSTV, the official …
From Screen to Store
This paper examines how Love Island: USA Season 6 integrates e-commerce, brand partnerships, and influencer practices into its narrative structure and digital infrastructure. Focusing on the shop the villa feature of the show’s app, we analyze how the series synchronizes emotional investment with consumer action. Drawing on qualitative content analysis of episodes, a walkthrough study of the app, and thematic analysis of branded social media camp…
“Not a Detour from Rigor”
This article argues that care — especially care grounded in Black feminist traditions — is not an affective supplement to teaching but rather the radical foundation of liberatory pedagogy. Amid rising attacks on critical education and the austerity logics of the neoliberal university, the authors theorize care as infrastructure, method, and resistance. Drawing from the work of bell hooks, Audre Lorde, Patricia Hill Collins, Mia Mingus, and Leah L…
This program was brought to you by the algorithm
The days of television have repeatedly been deemed over. Today, we are told, television is a dying medium replaced by viral and new digital platforms like TikTok where millions gather every day to consume content. This paper is an extended literature review of television and TikTok scholarship to highlight similarities and differences amongst key concepts in both fields. By focusing on political economy, textual analysis, and audience/reception s…
Gender, Feminism, and Media (5 works) · Social media (4 works) · Sociology (4 works) · Political science (3 works) · Public relations (3 works) · Advertising (2 works) · Business (2 works) · Computer Science (2 works) · Digital media (2 works) · Law (2 works)