Academic Staff
- HHB815a, Hung Hom Bay Campus
- +852 3400 3926
- jacobwanjiang.zhang@polyu.edu.hk
ORCID ID
Google Scholar
Research GateBiography
Dr Zhang’s research lies at the intersection of computational social science and computer-mediated communication (CMC), and centres on how digital technologies shape human life. The current research focuses on three areas. The first is technology and social time, which examines the temporal patterns (rhythms) of digital media use—how they are formed and with what consequences. The second area concerns how the design features of platforms shape users’ interactions and engagement. The third area explores technology and lifestyle, asking how emerging technologies re-pattern everyday life. He mainly employs computational methods, including large-scale digital trace data, natural experiments, causal inference, and large language models. His research has appeared in peer-reviewed journals such as Computers in Human Behavior, Social Media + Society, Telematics and Informatics, Public Relations Review, Environmental Communication, Journal of Health Communication, and Journalism.
Education and Academic Qualifications
- Aug 2019 - Mar 2024
Ph.D. in Communication, School of Journalism and Communication, The Chinese University of Hong Kong - Sep 2016 - Jun 2019
Master of Arts in Communication, School of Journalism and Communication, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China - Sep 2012 - Jun 2016
Bachelor of Arts in Communication, School of Journalism and Communication, Anhui University, Anhui, China
Academic and Professional Experience
- Mar 2024 - Jun 2026
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Journalism and Communication, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Research Interests
Selected Publications
- Mu, H., Chen, A., Zhang, W. J., Zhang, Q., Zhang, M. M., Lu, S., & Liang, H. (2025). Authenticity perceived, authenticity performed: How inconsistency between self-generated and other-generated location-based information influences user engagement on Weibo. Telematics and Informatics, 102, 102310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2025.102310
- Zhang, W. J., Yi, J., & Liang, H. (2023). I cue you liking me: Causal and spillover effects of technological engagement bait. Computers in Human Behavior, 148, 107864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107864
- Zhang, W. J., & Yi, J. (2023). Mediated fire and distant suffering: The global spectacle of Australian bushfires in Nature 2.0. Environmental Communication, 17(4), 386–406. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2023.2195100
- Yan, Y., Shi, Y. H., Shu, C., Zhang, J. W., & Zhang, W. J. (2023). From grains to a tower: Residents’ self-organized actions in the early stage of COVID-19 — An analysis of organizational communication in a Wuhan residential WeChat group. Journalism & Communication, 30(6), 67–85. 閆岩、時元皓、舒暢、張婧瑋、張皖疆（2023）。聚沙成塔：新冠疫情早期的居民自組織行動——武漢某小區業主微信群的組織傳播分析。《新聞與傳播研究》，30(6)，67–85。
- Qu, J. G., Yi, J., Zhang, W. J., & Yang, C. Y. (2023). Silence is golden? Mitigating different types of online firestorms of Fortune 100 corporations on Twitter. Public Relations Review, 49(5), 102391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2023.102391
- Yi, J., & Zhang, W. J.* (2022). Mapping the global flow of computational communication science scholars. The Journal of International Communication, 29(1), 144–171. https://doi.org/10.1080/13216597.2022.2160780
- Yan, Y., & Zhang, W. J. (2022). Emotional expressions in the online memory of the “Karamay Fire” on Baidu Tieba (2006–2018). Journalism Research, (3), 100–116. 閆岩、張皖疆（2022）。百度貼吧中「克拉瑪依大火」記憶的情感表達（2006–2018）。《新聞大學》，(3)，100–116。
- Cheng, C. Y., Zhang, W. J., & Zhang, Q. (2022). Authority-led conspiracy theories in China during the COVID-19 pandemic: Exploring the thematic features and rhetoric strategies. Convergence, 13548565221102592. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565221102592
- Yi, J., Gina Qu, J., & Zhang, W. J. (2022). Depicting the emotion flow: Super-spreaders of emotional messages on Weibo during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social Media + Society, 8(1), 20563051221084950. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051221084950
- Zou, W., Zhang, W. J., & Tang, L. (2020). What do social media influencers say about health? A theory-driven content analysis of top ten health influencers’ posts on Sina Weibo. Journal of Health Communication, 26(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2020.1865486
- Yan, Y., & Zhang, W. J. (2020). The duality of memory writing: The change of memory structure regarding the “Karamay Fire” on Baidu Tieba. Journalism & Communication, 27(5), 73–93. 閆岩、張皖疆（2020）。數字化記憶的雙重書寫：百度貼吧中「克拉瑪依大火」的記憶結構之變遷。《新聞與傳播研究》，27(5)，73–93
- Yan, Y., & Zhang, W. (2020). Gossip at one’s fingertips: Predictors of celebrity news on Twitter. Journalism, 21(5), 707–726. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884918791349
- ICA
- AEJMC
- 2022
Top Three Student Paper, The 72nd Conference of International Communication Association, Public Relations Division - 2021
First Place in the Markham Student Competition, AEJMC 2021 Conference, International Communication Division - 2020
Top Student Paper Award, The 70th Conference of International Communication Association, Environmental Communication Session
