Steven L. Johnson

Professor Johnson’s award-winning research adopts a sociotechnical systems perspective that considers how the intersection of technology, people, processes, and data impacts individuals, organizations, and society. He explores how digital technology enables the discovery, creation, and sharing of information, including

* In online communities and other social media that support open innovation
* Through applications of social network analysis, computational linguistics, and computational social science methods to analyze language use, team dynamics, and large voluntary collectives
* In content moderation, toxic content, and algorithmic content prioritization
* The role of race, gender, and diversity in algorithms, outcomes, and online experiences
* Societal impacts of digital technology such as information-limiting environments (echo chambers and filter bubbles), the climate crisis, and ethical use of technology

His ongoing collaborations encompass questions on
* How digital technology supports democracy through the distribution and discovery of digital information—including by enabling self-expression, access to high-quality information, connections with others with similar interests, and the voluntary exchange of goods and services
* The role of digital technology in healthy youth development, including why and when youth are alternatively benefiting from or harmed by their digital environment
* How individuals and organizations can benefit from using AI (including genAI and LLM), how to minimize bias and promote fairness in AI/ML deployments, and using LLM for context-aware toxic content identification

Professor Johnson’s research has appeared in top organizatinoal journals including MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, and Organization Science and in top AI conferences including ACL and EMNLP.

He has taught numerous undergraduate and graduate courses, including managing AI, multicultural commerce, systems and strategy, business analytics, social networking, and information technology management. He is active in multiple local community organizations, including serving as a Board member on the Charlottesville Economic Development Authority and for Jaunt, a regional transit provider.