Whitney Phillips
Biography
Drawing from a unique interdisciplinary background, my methodological orientation is conjunctural and ethnographic. I explore how things connect together within communities and how historical variables give rise to norms, beliefs, and communication practices that translate into actions at the individual and societal level. The purpose of this work is to identify what is happening within a particular culture or community, why things are that way, and what consequences exist for whom.
Recurring areas of interest include the ethics of amplification (“to share or not to share”), ambivalent play and humor, media histories, the connections between pop culture and politics, the rhetoric of controversy, the power of narratives to shape belief and identity, and religion and politics (particularly vernacular religion and quasi-religion disconnected from formal church institutions). I also focus on how mental health and overall wellness impact how we communicate online and off. Specific research topics have included internet trolling (including its political articulations), political memes, best practices for reporting on false and harmful information, best practices for navigating difficult political conversations, digital ethics and literacy, and histories of rightwing media.
In the Media Studies program at SOJC, I teach Intro to Media Studies, Media Ethics (with a true crime focus), Cross Cultural Monster Narratives, and courses on elections during presidential and midterm election cycles (including the 2024 presidential election). I am a core faculty member in the Folklore Program.
Education
- PhD in English with a folklore structured emphasis (digital culture focus) from the University of Oregon (2012)
- MFA in creative writing from Emerson College (2007)
- BA in Philosophy from Humboldt State University (2005)
Research
In 2023, I published my fourth book, Share Better and Stress Less: A Guide to Thinking Ecologically about Social Media (Candlewick Press/MITeen), for young adult readers. It draws from a series of ecological metaphors–redwood root systems, land cultivation, and hurricanes–to explain how and why information pollution spreads across social media and to help readers avoid causing harm accidentally. The book also explores the relationship between stress, overwhelm, and wellness (how we’re doing) and problematic communication (what we’re sharing).
My forthcoming book (Spring 2025), The Shadow Gospel: How Anti-Liberal Demonology Possessed US Religion, Media, and Politics, is co-authored with political science and religion scholar Mark Brockway of Syracuse University. It provides a novel account of the culture wars and Evangelical influence in the United States that traces the 80-year rise of a quasi-religious anti-liberal demonology, a vague sense of threat mapped onto a shapeshifting liberal enemy. A shadow gospel framework helps contextualize the violence of January 6, 2021, the fervor of satanic conspiracy theorizing, and the crusade against "wokeness." But it also helps explain the most vexing elements of our politics: that the most potent source of religious messaging and influence in the US is secular, that the most ruthless destroyers of Republicans are other Republicans, and that anti-liberal discourse spans the political spectrum. The book's introduction is available open access here.
Publications
Major published works include:
- The Shadow Gospel: How Anti-Liberal Demonology Possessed US Religion, Media, and Politics (The MIT Press), co-authored with Mark Brockway, 2025.
- Share Better and Stress Less: A Guide to Thinking Ecologically about Social Media (Candlewick Press/MITeen), co-authored with Ryan Milner, 2023.
- You Are Here: A Field Guide for Navigating Polarized Speech, Conspiracy Theories, and Our Polluted Media Landscape (MIT Press), co-authored with Ryan Milner, 2021.
- “The Oxygen of Amplification: Better Practices for Reporting on Extremists, Antagonists, and Manipulators Online.” Data & Society, 2018.
- The Ambivalent Internet: Mischief, Oddity, and Antagonism Online (Polity Press), co-authored with Ryan M. Milner, 2017.
- This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things: Mapping the Relationship between Online Trolling and Mainstream Culture (MIT Press), 2015.
Book chapters, articles, and cultural critiques include:
- W. Phillips. “Tuning in to Rightwing Laughter: Donald Trump, the MAGA Bible, and the Fun of Fighting Liberals." In Folklore and Democracy, edited by Anthony Bak Buccitelli. University of Mississippi Press, 2025.
- W. Phillips and R. Lawrence. "It's Not Just the Fruit, It's the Factory Farm: Assessing the Past, Present, and Future of January 6." In January 6th and the Media, edited by Kadijah Costley White, Daniel Kreiss, Shannon McGreggor, and Rebekah Tromble. Oxford University Press, 2024.
- W. Phillips, M. Brockway, and A. Ohlheiser. “The Term ‘White Christian Nationalism’ is on the Rise. Here’s What Journalists Should Know about Using It.” Nieman Journalism Lab, 2022.
- W. Phillips. “How to Cope with Political Panic.” NBC, 2022.
- W. Phillips and C. Wardle. “Disinformation Goes to Hollywood: Four Lessons from Journalism.” First Draft News, 2021.
- W. Phillips. “Light Disinfects: A Cultural History and Critique.’” Georgetown Law Technology Review, Special Issue on Network Ecologies, 2020.
- W. Phillips. “It Wasn’t Just the Trolls: Early Internet Culture, ‘Fun,’ and the Fires of Exclusionary Laughter.” Social Media and Society’s 2K. April, 2019.
- W. Phillips. “Am I Why I Can’t Have Nice Things?: A Reflection on Personal Trauma, Collective Play, and Ethical Sight.” In A Networked Self and Love, ed. Zizi Papacharissi. London: Routledge, 2018.
- W. Phillips and R.M. Milner. “Ghosts in the Machines: How Centuries of Technological Play with Death Has Helped Make Sense of Life.” In A Networked Self: Birth, Life, and Death, ed. Zizi Papacharissi. London: Routledge, 2018.
Media Coverage
I have written numerous popular press pieces for publications such as The Atlantic, The New York Times, NBC, and Slate, including the work I published in my WIRED magazine Ideas column. I regularly provide expert commentary on national and global news stories and my work has been profiled by the Columbia Journalism Review, Niemen Journalism Lab, and Knight Commission on Trust, Media, and Democracy, among many others.
Honors and Awards:
I have been invited to deliver dozens of talks and have given a number of national and international keynotes focused on a range of journalism and communication topics, including journalistic ethics, K-12 media literacy education, and the relationship between wellbeing and information sharing. I’ve also had the opportunity to present my work to Congressional and other governmental entities and am regularly asked to provide ethics consultation for national and global news outlets. My first book, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, was awarded the Association of Internet Researchers' Nancy Baym best book award.