Assistant Professor

About

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  • Role:

    Faculty

  • Position:

    • Assistant Professor

  • Concentration:

    • Relating &
    • Organizing

  • Department:

    • Communication Studies

  • Education:

    • Ph.D. in Communication Studies, University of Kansas
    • M.A. in Communication Studies, Kansas State University
    • B.S. in Communication Studies, Missouri State University

Biography

Natalie Pennington is an Assistant Professor in the Relating and Organizing Area with specific interests in interpersonal communication and the use of communication technology. Dr. Pennington’s research focuses primarily on meeting social connection needs and friendship. Currently she is part of an international team of experts who are helping to develop public health guidelines for social connection. Her work has been published in journals such as Communication Monographs, the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Communication Research, and Computers in Human Behavior. Dr. Pennington teaches classes in interpersonal communication, nonverbal communication, professional communication, and persuasion.

Publications

Rice, R. & Pennington, N. (2024). Involuntary adoption of ICTs during emergencies: Temporality of technology use in virtual collaborations. Management Communication Quarterly. Online First. https://doi.org/10.1177/08933189241226717

Pennington, N. & Palagi, J. (2023). Examining how social and emotional factors inform response to cross-cutting political views on social media. Social Media + Society, 9(4), 1-11. https://doi.org/10/1177/20563051231207851

Barney, J., & Pennington, N. (2023). An exploration of esports fan identity, engagement practices and motives. Telematics & Informatics Reports, 11, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teler.2023.100081

Pennington, N. & Dam, L. (2023). Social interaction, support preference, and the use of wearable health trackers. Frontiers in Communication, 8, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1256452

Hall, J. A., Holmstrom, A. J., Pennington, N., Perrault, E., & Totzkay, D. (2023). Quality conversation can increase daily well-being. Communication Research. Online First, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1177/00936502221139363

Hall, J. A., Pennington, N., & Merolla, A. J. (2023). Which mediated social interactions satisfy the need to belong? Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 28(1), 1-12. Lead article. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmac026

Holmstrom, A., Hall, J. A., & Pennington, N. (2022). Thriving or struggling? Social energy expenditure and patterns of interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Communication Studies, 73(2), 101-118. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2021.2018000

Pennington, N., Holmstrom, A., & Hall, J. A. (2022). The toll of technology while working from home during COVID-19. Communication Reports, 35(1), 25-37. https://doi.org/10.1080/08934215.2021.1993947

Pennington, N. (2021). Extending social penetration theory to Facebook. Journal of Social Media in Society, 10(2), 325-343. https://www.thejsms.org/index.php/JSMS/article/view/973/549

Pennington, N. (2021). Communication outside of the home through social media during COVID-19 and well-being. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 4, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2021.100118

Winfrey, K. L., & Pennington, N. (2021). Young women’s political discussion on social media in the 2016 presidential election. Ohio Communication Journal, 59, 1-16. https://www.ohiocomm.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Winfrey.pdf

Pennington, N. (2021). The maintenance of dormant and commemorative relationships through social media. Southern Journal of Communication, 86(3), 244-255. https://doi.org/10.1080/1041794X.2021.1900353

Hall, J. A., Pennington, N., & Holmstrom, A. (2021). Connecting through technology during COVID-19. Human Communication & Technology, 2(1), 1-18. https://journals.ku.edu/hct/article/view/15026

Pennington, N. & Hall, J. A. (2021). Does Facebook-enabled communication influence weak tie relationships over time? A longitudinal investigation into mediated relationship maintenance. Communication Monographs, 88(1), 48-70. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2020.1854476

Pennington, N., & Winfrey, K. L. (2021). Engaging in political talk on Facebook: Investigating the role of interpersonal goals and cognitive engagement. Communication Studies, 72(1), 100-114. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2020.1819844

Pennington, N. (2021). Quitting social media: A qualitative exploration of communication outcomes. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, 22(1),30-38. Top ten most read article. https://doi.org/10.1080/17459435.2020.1817140