Gordon Gow, PhD

Area of Study / Keywords

Communication studies internet studies social media applied communication research political economy of communication community and international development

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About

I am a professor of media and communications currently serving as Interim Director of the Media & Technology Studies unit at the University of Alberta. I also teach in the Master of Arts in Communications and Technology (MACT program). Prior to joining the University of Alberta in 2006, I was a Lecturer in the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics where I was Director of the Graduate Programme in Media and Communications Regulation and Policy.

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Research

My research and teaching interests revolve around the social impact of digital media and technology. I would consider myself an applied media and communication researcher.  Applied communication is an area of scholarship "that focuses on the study of a social issue or problem with the primary purpose of identifying solutions and recommendations to address the social issue ... applied communication scholars and practitioners use theory as a way to find ways to communicate recommendations and connect them to stakeholders" (Carmack, 2017). 

I have been leading various collaborative research projects in digital leadership and literacy with community-engaged projects, including a technology stewardship initiative with Canadian and international partners. My experience extends across a range of concerns, including effective use of social media, ICT for development (ICT4D); community informatics; political economy of communication; communication policy and regulation; science and technology studies, and the history of electronic media.

In addition, I have a longstanding interest in the field of media ecology, with a focus on the work of Marshall McLuhan, Harold Innis, and others associated with the Toronto School of Communication. I also maintain a collection of books, recordings, and other hard-to-find published material by and about Marshall McLuhan, who was born in Edmonton.

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Teaching

I teach undergraduate and graduate courses on the social impact of digital communications, looking at a variety of topics including the social construction of technology, contemporary issues in social media, online communities, digital leadership and transformation, community informatics and ICT for Development.

Graduate students with interests in these areas of research are invited to consider applying to the MA in Communications and Technology (MACT) program. Qualified students interested in pursuing doctoral studies with me will need to consider applying through Individual Interdisciplinary Studies or to contact the graduate advisor in the Department of Sociology.

I am pleased to be working with the Arts Resource Centre at the University of Alberta on a new initiative using Mastodon to establish a decentralized social media infrastructure for supporting research on community-based alternatives to big tech. Please get in touch if you are interested in knowing more about it.

Gordon A. Gow

The Conversation. 2025 June;

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Edited by Ataharul Chowdhury, Gordon A. Gow

Routledge. 2024 June;

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Gordon A. Gow

in (Chowdhury & Gow, Eds) Digital Communication for Agricultural and Rural Development Participatory Practices in a Post-COVID Age. Routledge. 2024 June;

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Gordon A. Gow

Keynote speech for the 35th Congress of the Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. 2023 November;

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Gordon A. Gow, U. Dissanayake, A. Chowdhury, J. Ramjattan

Springer. 2023 July; 10.1007/978-3-031-30808-6

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Gordon A. Gow

London: SAGE. 2022 September;

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Gordon A. Gow

2020 January;

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Gordon A. Gow, A. Chowdhury, J. Ramjattan, W. Ganpat

The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension. 2020 January;

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Gordon A. Gow

2018 January;

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Gordon A. Gow

2018 January;

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Gordon A. Gow

2016 January;

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Gordon A. Gow, T. Barlott, K. Quinn, J. Linder, A. Soler, G. Edwards, S. Hossain

Journal of Human Trafficking. 2015 January; 1 (1):259-274

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Gordon Gow

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