Laurent Wang studies communication technology, privacy, and social inequality. His current research examines how users 1) negotiate privacy decisions in various technological contexts and 2) navigate digital inequality challenges.
Laurent Wang (ABD, UC Santa Barbara) is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, his research seeks to understand how online privacy decision-making is shaped by various social, psychological, and technological factors. Another line of his work adopts an ecological lens to understand how disadvantaged groups navigate challenges concerning device disruptions and digital skills gaps in the constantly-shifting technological landscape. He has published in leading journals such as Communication Research, Communication Monographs, New Media & Society, and Journal of Advertising. He has received prestigious research awards such as the James J. Bradac Award and the Steven H. Chaffee Award for Excellence in Research. His research activities have been supported by various external (e.g., the National Science Foundation, Washington Media Scholars Foundation, and the International Communication Association) and internal funding sources (e.g., UCSB’s African and Asian Students in STEM program).
B.A. (2021), University of California, Santa Barbara, Communication.
M.A. (2023), University of California, Santa Barbara, Communication.