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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · 8d

People can tell when you're excited about a position (vs. just being desperate for any position). And for you to be excited about a position, it (usually) does have to be a good fit for you, and not just another rung on the ladder.

Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · 8d

If you can illustrate that you are excited about a position (somewhere you see your work growing), that's a good sign. Obviously, look at the centers/research. But don't stop at knowing these things--actually think about where you fit in their research ecosystem.

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · 8d

I don't say this because job candidates can be selective about fit (they can't, jobs are scarce). BUT, I do think departments can (sometimes) tell when a candidate thinks they are a good "fit." Campus visits esp. are like first dates. Is there a spark when you meet? Can you both feel it?

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · 8d

But "fit" goes both ways: do you fit with the department, but does the department culture fit what YOU need?

It's hard to know, especially given the hyper-competitive nature of the academic job market (leading to the "I'll take any job" mentality).

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · 8d

1. Do you publish/get grants at or above the (perceived) dept rate?
2. Can you teach classes that the dept needs?
3. Will people vibe with you as a colleague?

1 & 2 can be sussed out before or during an application. 3 feels largely contingent on the campus interview.

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · 8d

One last tip (mostly for R1 jobs): I have been thinking about the word "fit," which is a common thing to say about positions ("it's not about the best pubs/research, but the ✨best fit✨," which is super vague). This seems to boil down into 3 things:

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · 8d

This year, I will not be compiling available job calls, but I encourage folks to check out @polcomm.bsky.social and @aejmc.bsky.social 's newsletters for a list of calls.

There is also a well-maintained wikia for jobs in this area: academicjobs.fandom.com/wiki/Communi...

Communication and Media Studies 2025-2026

Welcome! This page is for tenure-track jobs in Communication and Media Studies that begin in Fall 2026. VAP positions are OK, but please label them as such and do not post adjunct positions here. Thes...

academicjobs.fandom.com

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · 8d

Many thanks to Christopher Assaf, Bin Chen, @rossdahlke.bsky.social, @zeningduan.bsky.social, @meredithpruden.bsky.social ky.social, & @jiyoun-suk.bsky.social for sharing their materials!

Also, @heesoojang.bsky.social has a great Twitter thread last year about the job market: x.com/HeesooJang2/...

ky.social

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · 8d

For those on the #polcomm academic job market this year, I am sharing the job market material folder that I put together a few years back.

drive.google.com/drive/folder...

Lukito & Friends Job Market Materials - Google Drive

drive.google.com

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Reposted by Jo(sephine) Lukito

Digital Democracy Centre @ddc-sdu.bsky.social · 20d

Our incoming colleague @jolukito.bsky.social is welcomed by a *very* enthusiastic room, presenting her research agenda and the challenges of cross-platform data collection.
Welcome Jo! We are so happy to have you with us! 😊❤️

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · Aug 22

Yes, I'd love to come and visit!

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Reposted by Jo(sephine) Lukito

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · Aug 21

New job ad: Assistant Professor of Quantitative Social Science, Dartmouth College apply.interfolio.com/172357

Please share with your networks. I am the search chair and happy to answer questions!

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · Aug 21

I am especially thankful to my friends, co-authors, and students. You keep me sane and remind me that our work is more important than ever. At a time when science and democracy are under threat here, your solidarity remains my guiding light. 4/

I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS NEW ADVENTURE! 🏃‍♀️

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · Aug 21

Of course, this news comes with some sadness to be leaving the United States, and the amazing mentors and scholars at the UT Austin I am grateful to folks like @taliastroud.bsky.social and Steve Reese who took me under their wing when I started in 2020, and supported my research.

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · Aug 21

My move follows in the footsteps of my mother, who emigrated from Indonesia, and her mother, who emigrated from China. This multi-generational migration is made more meaningful when I reflect on the many people who have helped me on my own academic journey as a first-generation researcher.

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · Aug 21

💓I am so (so, so) very excited to be joining @ddc-sdu.bsky.social and @d-ias.bsky.social, starting February 2026, where I will continue my work on computational methods/AI, researcher data access, multi-platform language flows, and political extremism. 💓

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Digital Democracy Centre @ddc-sdu.bsky.social · Aug 21

We are thrilled to announce that Josephine (“Jo”) Lukito will join the DDC as Professor in Digital Communication and DIAS Chair!
@jolukito.bsky.social is a leading expert in the fields of political communication & computational methods, & will join us starting Feb 1, 2026.
Velkommen til DCC Jo! 🤗🎉

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · Jul 28

One of my absolute favorite paper titles ❤️

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · Jul 28

In spite of the many changes to data access, we continue to collect this data.

In 2024, we collaborated with the Algorithmic Transparency Institute, SOMAR, and CTCL to begin Candidata, a more long-term effort to collect and validate social media handles of U.S. politicians:

www.candidata24.org

Candidata24

www.candidata24.org

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · Jul 28

All citizens should have access to what politicians' (registered candidates & elected officials) say as public figures. But this is easier said than done, and projects like ours, @propublica.org's politwoops, and @osome.iu.edu's 2022 dataset are difficult to maintain w/o consistent data access

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · Jul 28

Some observations from our experience conducting this research:
1. We tend to focus on the candidates with massive SM presences, but the professionalization of candidates' SM accounts vary a lot
2. You would think this data should be easy to collect and share, but it's not.

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · Jul 28

We also explore mobilization strategies (e.g., voting, fundraising efforts, online engagement, and event attendance). Our results suggest few differences by party, but highlight how platform modality may be leveraged for different mobilization tactics.

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · Jul 28

Results suggest a growing asymmetry in SM use, as conservatives grow their presence on alt-tech SM like Truth Social and Gettr (at the time, no Democratic candidates were on alt-tech SM). Republicans who were 2020 election skeptics/deniers were more likely to be on alt-tech platforms.

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · Jul 28

In this analysis, we collect and study 2022 U.S. midterm candidates' posts from a whopping seven (!!!) social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Truth Social, Gettr, Instagram, YouTube, and Rumble.

This is one of the most extensive collections of politicians' social media posts during an election

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · Jul 28

Major congrats and thanks to my amazing co-authors at the Media & Democracy Data Co-op: @mgmacdonald.bsky.social, Bin Chen, @m-dot-brown.bsky.social , Stephen Prochaska, @yunkangyang.bsky.social, @jasong.bsky.social, @jiyoun-suk.bsky.social, Wei Zhong, @rossdahlke.bsky.social, & @pborah.bsky.social

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Jo(sephine) Lukito @jolukito.bsky.social · Jul 28

🚨New publication in Social Media + Society🚨

Candidates Be Posting: Multi-Platform Strategies and Partisan Preferences in the 2022 U.S. Midterm Elections

And it's open access!

journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

Candidates Be Posting: Multi-Platform Strategies and Partisan Preferences in the 2022 U.S. Midterm Elections - Josephine Lukito, Maggie Macdonald, Bin Chen, Megan A. Brown, Stephen Prochaska, Yunkang ...

In this multi-platform, comparative study, we analyze social media messages from political candidates (N = 1,517) running for Congress during the 2022 U.S. Midt...

journals.sagepub.com

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