Benjamin Johnson, Ph.D.

Director - STEM Translational Communication Center
Associate Professor - Department of Advertising

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Benjamin Johnson (PhD, The Ohio State University) is an associate professor of advertising at the University of Florida. His research is focused on why and how people select and share persuasive messages in new media settings, especially as it relates to psychological processes such as impression management, social comparison, and self-regulation. Dr. Johnson is an editor of Media Psychology and is an author of over 45 peer-reviewed publications in high-profile communication journals.

Areas of Expertise

Consumer Psychology, Data, Numeracy and Coding, Media Psychology and Media Effects, Pop Culture, Social Media

Education

Ph.D., Ohio State University, 2014
M.A., Michigan State University, 2007
B.S., University of Indianapolis, 2005

News

• Benjamin Johnson Served as a Panelist and Guest Speaker at UMaine Events (March 28, 2025)
• Tell Me About It: Benjamin Johnson talks about “Doomscrolling” (February 3, 2025)
• CommuniGator Podcast: Spoiler Research with Benjamin Johnson (January 13, 2025)
• UFCJC Researchers Win U.S. State Department Grant to Better Climate Reporting in Chile (October 2, 2024)
• Benjamin Johnson and UFCJC Alumna Author Advertising Research Book Chapter on Consumer Hypocrisy (August 6, 2024)
• All News About Benjamin Johnson

Publications

Refereed Journal Articles

Grant, R., & Johnson, B. K. (2024). It all begins with a name: Examining news during the Ketanji Brown Jackson judicial nomination. Journalism Practice. DOI: 10.1080/17512786.2024.2340513

Johnson, B. K., & Rosenbaum, J. E. (2023). Sharing brands on social media: The roles of behavioural commitment and modality in identity shift. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 47(3), 995-1010. DOI: 10.1111/ijcs.12880

Mueller, S., Morton, C. R., Johnson, B. K., Sharma, B., & Morris, J. D. (2023). Like the dad in the ad: Testing a conceptual model for new fathers’ responses to dadvertisements. International Journal of Advertising. DOI: 10.1080/02650487.2022.2091377

Kryston, K., Ulusoy, E., Grady, S. M., Johnson, B. K., Rosenbaum, J. E., & Eden, A. (2022). Seeking spoilage: The impact of content challenge, self-control, and traits on spoiler selection. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. DOI: 10.1080/08838151.2022.2110593

Cohen, E. L., Banjo, O., Ferchaud, A., & Johnson, B. K. (2022). Editors' introduction to the special issue: “This is (not) fine”: The psychology of popular media during 2020 crises. Psychology of Popular Media, 11(3), 249. DOI: 10.1037/ppm0000421

Meier, A., & Johnson, B. K. (2022). Social comparison and envy on social media: A critical review. Current Opinion in Psychology, 45, article 101302. DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101302

Lee, S. S., & Johnson, B. K. (2022). Are they being authentic? The effects of self-disclosure and message sidedness on sponsored post effectiveness. International Journal of Advertising, 41(1), 30-53. DOI: 10.1080/02650487.2021.1986257

Sharma, B., Lee, S. S., & Johnson, B. K. (2022). The dark at the end of the tunnel: Doomscrolling on social media newsfeeds. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 3(1), article 4. DOI: 10.1037/tmb0000059

Grady, S. M., Eden, A., Johnson, B. K., & Reinecke, L. (2022). Media use and avoidance experiences during social distancing. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 3(1), article 1. DOI: 10.1037/tmb0000041

Book Chapters

Son, R., Moss, C. E., & Johnson, B. K. (2023). Exposure to and effects of international entertainment on streaming platforms: A review and agenda for future media psychology research. In Television’s streaming wars. Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781003335641-19

Slater, M. D., Johnson, B. K., Silver, N. A., & Ewoldsen, D. R. (2021). Stories enlarge the experience of self: Evidence for the temporarily expanded boundaries of the self (TEBOTS) model. In The Oxford handbook of entertainment theory (pp. 251-265). . DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190072216.013.14

Johnson, B. K. (2020). Selective exposure. In International encyclopedia of media psychology. . DOI: 10.1002/9781119011071.iemp0262

Johnson, B. K. (2020). Need for affect. In International encyclopedia of media psychology. . DOI: 10.1002/9781119011071.iemp0250

Johnson, B. K. (2020). Self-control: Self-regulation and impulse control. In International encyclopedia of media psychology. . DOI: 10.1002/9781119011071.iemp0252

Woods, K., Slater, M. D., Cohen, J., Johnson, B. K., & Ewoldsen, D. R. (2018). The experience of narrative in the permanently online, permanently connected environment: Multitasking, self-expansion, and entertainment effects. In Permanently online, permanently connected: Living and communicating in a POPC world (pp. 116-128). Routledge.

Johnson, B. K. (2017). Seeking and avoiding of media: Intergroup approaches. Oxford Univ. Press. DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.452

Knobloch-Westerwick, S., Westerwick, A., & Johnson, B. K. (2015). Selective exposure in the communication technology context. (pp. 407-424). John Wiley & Sons.

Rosenbaum, J. E., Johnson, B. K., Stepman, P. A., & Nuitjen, K. C. (2013). “Looking the part” and “staying true”: Balancing impression management on Facebook. In Social networking and impression management: Self-presentation in the digital age (pp. 35-59). Rowman & Littlefield.

Courses

Syllabi from the current and three previous semesters:

• MMC 6947 - Media Psychology - Spring 2025 (PDF)
• ADV 3500 - Digital Insights - section 6H6C - Fall 2024 (PDF)
• ADV 4910 - Advertising Undergraduate Research - section 0310 - Spring 2024 (PDF)
• MMC 6421 - Research Methods in Mass Communication - Spring 2024 (PDF)