Welcome to the Cornell Social Media Lab
Our Mission
We research how technology shapes social behavior—and build tools to make digital spaces safer, smarter, and more supportive. Our work spans digital and AI literacy, online safety, and prosocial tech use, with a focus on youth, vulnerable populations, and the future of communication.
Who We Are
We are a group of dedicated researchers interested in social behavior and technology, the impact of communication technology on well-being, and developing interventions that encourage prosocial behaviors.
What We Do
Empowering Youth Online
Through the award-winning Social Media TestDrive, we help young people build confidence and critical thinking skills to navigate social platforms safely and ethically.
Deterring Objectionable Behavior Online
Our project involves addressing objectionable content online—misinformation, hate speech, conspiracies, bullying—from multiple angles: from observation of the real world to experimental tests in a simulated social media environment, to agent-based modeling, to real-world interventions.
Bystander Interventions
To date, we have completed a series of studies investigating cyberbullying and bystander interventions. The goal of this research is to investigate bystander interventions online, and the ways in which interventions can be encouraged in cyberbullying situations.
The Latest from the SML
SML at NCA
This November, SML grad student Inhwan Bae presented “Interplay of Harassment and Objection to Harassment” at the National Communication Association’s 111th Annual Convention. The presentation covered the effects of observing competing behaviors, harassment, and objections to harassment on people’s perceptions of norms in online communities. This work was in collaboration with Natalie Bazarova, Pengfei Zhao, Winice Hui, and Drew Margolin.
SML in the Media
Our Social Media Lab (SML) members are making waves this fall! The Cornell Chronicle featured two stories highlighting the innovative research coming from our lab members, both written by Tom Fleischman.
Congratulations, Professor Zhao!
SML alum Pengfei Zhao has started her position as an assistant professor in communication & AI in the School of Communication at Florida State University. Pengfei’s research focuses on the psychological, interpersonal, and socio-technical processes and effects of emerging media and technology, such as social media and artificial intelligence (AI). She develops theory-driven and evidence-based interventions to reduce online harms, foster civil and constructive discourses, and improve digital literacy. She was a recipient of the 2022-2024 Meta Research Ph.D. Fellowship.