Associate Professor, University of Michigan, School of Information

Joyojeet Pal

Joyojeet Pal is an associate professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Information. His research focuses on the ways that access to technology impacts social interactions in the Global South. Joyojeet’s work examines how political parties connect on social media, build networks of influence, and spread propaganda.

His research on populism focuses on ways in which social media provides a unique set of tools for undemocratic discourse, allowing politicians to avoid scrutiny by the mainstream media and rely instead on direct communication. Joyojeet’s recent work covers the mechanics, organization, and discursive style of hate speech communities in India and their relationship with traditional forms of exclusion and marginality.

Joyojeet received his bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the University of Mumbai, and his doctorate in City and Regional Planning from the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to his return to Michigan, Joyojeet was a senior principal researcher at Microsoft Research India where he led a project on social media and society. He researched and produced a documentary film on cinema fan culture in 2015, “For the Love of a Man” which premiered at the Venice Film Festival.