Ioana Literat

Ioana Literat is an Associate Professor of Communication, Media, and Learning Technologies Design at Teachers College, Columbia University. Literat specializes in media literacy, social media, youth online political expression, and civic education. She serves as Program Director of the Technology, Media & Learning program and Co-Director of the Media & Social Change Lab (MASCLab). Literat holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California, and a B.A. in Film and Media Culture from Middlebury College.

Literat's research focuses on the digital lives of young people, exploring how online participation fosters creativity, learning, and civic engagement. Her work examines the intersection of youth creative and civic practices in online contexts and investigates how understanding these practices can support future generations of thinkers, voters, and activists. While rooted in communication and media studies, Literat employs an interdisciplinary approach, publishing on participatory online art, participatory learning, participatory innovation, and participatory research methods. Her scholarship has been cited in more than 4,000 academic works, demonstrating its influence across disciplines.

Among her contributions is the book "Not Your Parents' Politics: Understanding Young People's Political Expression on Social Media," published by Oxford University Press, which analyzes youth political engagement on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Literat has also co-created "LAMBOOZLED!," a card game designed to promote news literacy and critical media literacy skills among young people. She is a recipient of the American Educational Research Association's Early Career Award from the Media, Culture and Learning Special Interest Group.

Literat contributes commentary on technology, digital culture, and society to outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Newsweek, The Atlantic, CNN, and Wired. She is regularly quoted in news outlets such as The New York Times, NBC News, and The Globe and Mail, and has been featured on PBS NewsHour, Vox, and Vice on Showtime. Her media commentary draws on extensive research about TikTok and earlier studies of musical.ly. Literat also facilitates workshops and trainings with media companies, school principals, education policymakers, parent groups, and journalists, sharing insights on digital media, youth engagement, and media literacy education.