Communication Studies

About the research group

Communication Studies research group views communication as a human activity that enables interaction, keeps communities together, and creates a shared understanding. Communication is understood as a dynamic social phenomenon through which knowledge, emotions, and meanings are conveyed and constructed. We understand communication both as an organized and planned activity and as spontaneous activity typical of human beings. Changes in technology, environment, and culture form a relevant context for our research.

The mission of Communication Studies is to provide reasoned views and solutions to social, cultural and economic issues from the perspective of communication. The values that guide our research are curiosity, independence, responsibility, and critical thinking.

In the work of our research group, our teaching focus areas—Digital media, Organizational communication, and Interaction design—are closely interconnected.

The roots of the Communication Studies research group lie in Applied linguistics, Terminological research, and Technical communication. The research group focuses particularly on the following themes:

change of digital media environment
artificial intelligence and algorithms
users, agency, and technology
financial discourses and meanings
strategic orientation, sustainability, and ethics.

We are open to collaboration with companies, communities, and various research organisations. The contact persons for the Communication Studies research group are Professors Merja Koskela (for the period 1.8.2024–31.7.2027 Anne Laajalahti) and Tanja Sihvonen.

An important part of the research group consists of doctoral researchers who are enrolled in the University of Vaasa’s doctoral programme. We are continuously looking for talented and motivated individuals interested in Communication Studies, both as doctoral candidates and for project positions. More detailed information about supervision themes can be found at the end of the page in our staff profiles.

Latest updates

Media release 19.01.2026

Rebekah Rousi, the new professor at the University of Vaasa, studies the interaction between humans and technology: “Values guide decisions even in the age of AI”

Dissertation 20.10.2025

Communicating climate change adaptation can evoke conflicting emotions

Dissertation 06.10.2025

An accessible online bank is good service – the customer experience truly matters

Show more news

Research projects

Project	Duration	Actors
Designing Inclusive & Trustworthy Digital Public Services for Migrants in Finland	10/2025 - 09/2028	Communication studies, Marketing and Communication
Misleading Consumers	09/2025 - 08/2029	Marketing and Consumption Research, Communication studies, Economics, Public policy and governance, Cyber-Physical Systems, Marketing and Communication, Accounting and Finance, Management
Multifaceted Ripple Effects and Limitations of AI-Human Interplay at Work, Business, and Society (SYNTHETICA)	01/2024 - 12/2026	Communication studies, Marketing and Communication
Emotional Experience of Privacy and Ethics in Everyday Pervasive Systems (BUGGED)	09/2022 - 08/2026	Communication studies, Marketing and Communication, Digital Economy
Short videos as news sources for young people (Lyhytvideot nuorten uutislähteenä)	08/2022 - 01/2024	Marketing and Communication, Communication studies
Shifting Investment Cultures in Digital Spaces	09/2021 - 08/2025	Communication studies, Digital Economy, Marketing and Communication
Citizens as agents of change in decarbonizing suburban and rural housing (DECARBON-HOME)	10/2020 - 09/2026	Marketing and Communication, Marketing and Consumption Research, Communication studies
DISRUPTING THE MEDIA SCENE. Adopting emerging technologies as a vehicle for transforming the audience relationship and business models in journalistic media	10/2019 - 02/2022	InnoLab, Communication studies, Digital Economy, Marketing and Communication
Banks saving-related communication in the social media	04/2019 - 12/2023	Communication studies
RegeRa	04/2018 - 04/2022	Communication studies, Marketing and Communication

Publications

Publication year	Publication	Authors
2026	Automate, Assist, Avoid: Caseworkers’ Perspectives on Applying Large Language Model-Based Assistance in Public Sector Decision-Making Processes	Drobotowicz, Karolina; Ylipulli, Johanna; Varanasi, Uttishta Sreerama; Mäkitalo, Heidi S.
2026	[Recension av:] Frondén, Carina, 2025: Lätt språk under lupp. Lätt språk och dess anvisningar utgående från forskningsperspektiv, praktikerperspektiv och användarperspektiv	Koskela, Merja
2026	Sammuva lyhty	Virkkunen, Heli Susanna
2026	Editorial: Benefits and detriments with respect to the ethics and sustainability of gamification	Xi, Nannan; Rousi, Rebekah; Abrahamsson, Pekka; Vakkuri, Ville; Hamari, Juho
2026	Digitaalinen retoriikka — Eetoksesta hämäysreettoriin	Eronen-Valli, Maria; Lehti, Lotta
2026	The Ethical Requirements Stack: Operationalizing Adaptive Ethical Requirements with Human-AI Collaboration and GPT-Based LLMs	Agbese, Mamia; Rousi, Rebekah; Abrahamsson, Pekka
2026	A step towards understanding systems thinking as mental self-renewal	Mononen, Laura; Kallio, Eeva K.; Rousi, Rebekah
2026	Bhagavadgītā and Mānavadharmaśāstra on War and Migration	Lehtonen, Tommi
2026	Memefication of game fandom on TikTok: Playful engagements with sounds, bodies, and algorithmic affordances	Ask, Kristine; Sihvonen, Tanja
2026	Ethical concerns and suggested mitigation strategies related to student-facing learning analytics dashboards – a narrative literature review	Havinen, Laura; Dang, Duong; Rousi, Rebekah