Annika Pinch

Annika Pinch is an assistant professor in the Department of English & Communication Studies. She received her PhD and MA in Media, Technology, and Society from Northwestern University and her BA in psychology from Cornell University. Her research and teaching interests include digital media, identity, and stigma, with a focus on how marginalized communities navigate self-presentation, visibility, and resistance on social media. Annika enjoys working with students on research and has led collaborative projects on topics such as social media app BeReal, Prison TikTok, and how LGBTQ+ individuals come out online. She is passionate about mentoring undergraduate researchers and creating opportunities for students to explore questions related to digital media. She predominantly uses qualitative and ethnographic methods, and her work has been published in journals such as New Media & Society, Social Media + Society, and Computers in Human Behavior.

Courses taken with Annika will encourage students to approach communication as both a practical skill and a lens through which to understand power, identity, and inequality. Her classes invite students to draw from their lived experiences and reflect on their everyday engagement with media and technology. Annika views learning as an interactive, collaborative process and designs her courses to offer a range of opportunities for creativity, discussion, and exploration.