Emelia Hughes home

social computing + human-computer interaction

Hi, I’m Emelia ✨

I’m a PhD Candidate in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Notre Dame. I study how algorithmically curated platforms shape online communities, identity, visibility, and influence.

Emelia Hughes smiling outdoors

What I study 🔍

Across my work, I ask how platform design influences what people see, what they believe about the social world around them, and where they understand themselves to belong.

01

Algorithmic Communities and Social Perception

How people encounter, recognize, and understand their relationship to communities made visible through algorithmically curated feeds.

02

Visibility, Influence, and Platform Signals

How users interpret metrics, rankings, interface cues, and incomplete evidence about popularity, credibility, reach, and influence.

03

Publics, Credibility, and Information Systems

How platform structures shape misinformation, credibility, political communities, and bounded or hardened publics.

Selected publications 📚

Visual for Echo Chambers and Information Brokers on Truth Social: A Study of Network Dynamics and Political Discourse
Echo Chambers and Information Brokers on Truth Social: A Study of Network Dynamics and Political Discourse
Emelia May HughesTim Weninger
CSCW Companion 2025 Preprint
This study examines the structural dynamics of Truth Social, a politically aligned social media platform, during two major political events: the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade and the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago. Using a large-scale dataset of user interactions based on re-truths, we analyze how the network evolves in relation to fragmentation, polarization, and user influence.
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Visual for Examining Mainstream News Media Narratives on Youth Online Safety
Examining Mainstream News Media Narratives on Youth Online Safety
Ozioma Collins OguineOghenemaro AnuyahEmelia May HughesKarla Badillo-Urquiola
CSCW Companion 2024
Despite the growing literature on adolescent online safety, mainstream news media continues to be a large influence in shaping public perceptions of online safety. This paper investigates the narratives surrounding youth online safety as depicted in mainstream news media through a systematic review of 157 news articles.
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