I am a Ph.D. candidate in Communication from UCLA working at the intersection of computational social science and political communication. My research examines how individuals selectively engage with political information in algorithmically curated digital environments, and what these individual-level behaviors mean for broader outcomes such as audience fragmentation and distorted signals of public opinion.

With a focus on news selectivity, my work centers on three interrelated areas: (a) the measurement and conditions of news selectivity; (b) how different stages of digital news engagement shape the character of partisan alignment; and (c) how algorithmic curation and platform design shape information dynamics on digital platforms.

Methodologically, I combine large-scale digital trace data with computational text and network analysis to capture real-world behavior on platforms, alongside controlled experiments that isolate the causal mechanisms underlying engagement.

My broader goal is to advance empirically grounded understandings of how political participation and public debate are shaped on digital platforms, and to inform platform governance and design choices for more effective democratic communication.

I am affiliated with the Political Communication & Behavior Lab (PCB) and will be joining the NYU Center for Social Media, AI, and Politics (CSMaP) as a Postdoctoral Associate in Fall 2026!

Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications

Kernell, G., & Noh, S. (2026). The AI Referee: How Online Interventions Shape Incivility and User Engagement in News Discussions. Social Media+Society.

Noh, S. (2026). Expressive News Preferences: Identity-Signaling in News Selection. Journalism Studies. 

Noh, S., & Soroka, S. (2026). Engaging to Oppose: Cross-Cutting Patterns in Hostile News Commentary. The International Journal of Press/Politics.

Noh, S., & Soroka, S. (2025). Negativity Biases Online: The Interplay of Individuals and Algorithms in News Consumption. Journal of Media Psychology. 

Under Review

Noh, S. Algorithmic Exposure, User Choice: Engagement Segregation in Mobile News Feeds.

Noh, S., Soroka, S., & Bordes, Z. Screen Size and News Engagement. [OSF preregistration]

Working Papers

Noh, S. Human-Algorithm Temporal Interactions on Mobile News Feeds. (Manuscript in preparation, post-analysis stage)

— Presented at APSA Political Communication Preconference 2025 (Vancouver, Canada)

Noh, S., & Berwald, R. Correcting Misinformation, but Sustaining Conclusions: The Role of Emotional and Partisan Attachments in Narrative Persistence. (Data collection stage, online experiment). 

— Awarded UCLA Political Psychology Fellowship ($1,000)

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