Ian Axel Anderson

At Caltech, I study how beliefs, decisions, and behaviors are influenced by social media and technology, primarily through the lens of habits. I use both psychological survey and neuroscience methods.

I completed my PhD in Social Psychology at USC, with a focus on media habits. I research the impact of social media on human behavior, while also seeking to understand how technology shapes the spread and adoption of behaviors and ideas across individuals and/or groups.

My research background includes a research masters degree from INSEAD in marketing science with a focus on consumer behavior. My expertise in Social Media comes from nearly 5 years of dedicated research and work on digital strategy with Temin and Company in New York City (some while part-time as a student at Swarthmore College) as well as advertising experience at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Research Associate work at Columbia University's business school. I graduated from Swarthmore College in 2013, where I completed an Honors Major in Political Science and Major/Honors Minor in Economics. This included extensive coursework in mathematics, philosophy, psychology, political and economic theory, and english literature.