Interdisciplinary research for safer digital spaces and resilient online experiences
The Socio-Technical Interaction Research Group examines how digital technologies impact the safety, security, privacy, and outcomes of vulnerable populations, particularly youth and at-risk users such as older adults and individuals with disabilities. The group investigates online harms including cyberbullying, cybergrooming, sextortion, and digital mental health challenges, while developing resilience-based solutions that promote agency, support, and protection. Using socio-technical, human-centered, and interdisciplinary methods, the group aims to design safer digital ecosystems and influence policy through collaborations spanning computer science, social science, and public interest technology.
Our research has examined:
- Co-designed strategies to safeguard teens
- Algorithmic methods for detecting online risks
- Digital inequality and resilience among vulnerable populations
- Privacy calculus of older adults
- Social media privacy education for autistic young adults
- Multi-stakeholder shared governance and open innovation for online safety
- Nudge-based interventions for youth safety
- Catalyzing computing research through interdisciplinarity
Areas of focus:
- Human-AI Collaboration and Teaming
- Cognitive Security: Human Factors, Influence, and Resilience
- Usable Security and Privacy by Design
- Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) and Interaction Design
- Digital Wellbeing, Behavior-Aware Computing, and Ethical Design
- Social Media Platforms, Online Communities, and Digital Culture
