Youjin Kim explores computer and AI-mediated communication, focusing on how digital spaces, technologies, and psychosocial dynamics shape conflict, hate, self-expression, and silence. Her research examines both the possibilities and challenges of AI in regulating online hate, while also considering how media use influences identity and participation beyond the online sphere.
Youjin Kim is interested in exploring how online conflicts, self-expression, silence, and particularly hate speech are shaped by the interplay between technological affordances, the characteristics of digital spaces, and psychological as well as sociological factors. Her research also examines AI-mediated communication, with a focus on both the potential and the challenges of using AI to regulate online hate. In addition, she studies how individuals use media and technology to construct their identities and how these processes influence participation and solidarity in offline contexts.
She received her B.A. in Social Psychology and Visual & Multimedia Design from Sookmyung Women's University. Before graduate study, she worked for over three years in the IT industry as a UX/UI designer, developing online platforms across various domains. She then earned her M.A. in Communication from Seoul National University and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Communication at UC Santa Barbara.
M.A. (2025), Seoul National University, Communication
B.A. (2018), Sookmyung Women's University, Social Psychology & Visual/Multimedia Design