Mel Allen

Mel (they/them) is a PhD student working with Dr. Brooke Welles and Dr. Briony Swire-Thompson. They are interested in how aesthetics affect online communication, especially in the areas of misinformation and extremism. They have a Bachelor's degree in math and computer science and a minor in art history from Indiana University. Prior to NetSI Mel studied images posted on Twitter during the Stop Asian Hate movement and performed an analysis of political advertisements posted on Facebook regarding the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. At Netsci they are studying how online aesthetic movements can be appropriated by extremist or far-right groups, specifically the Cottagecore to Tradwife Pipeline on Tumblr.