Professor Agnes Gulyas

Professor Ágnes Gulyás is a Professor in Media and Communications in the School of Creative Arts and Industries

Agnes is a REF UoA Lead, Co-Chair of the University’s Women's Research Network, and Postgraduate Taught Course Director in the School of Creative Arts and Industries.

I have more than 25 years of teaching experience in Higher Education, during which time I have taught at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. At undergraduate level I have designed and delivered a variety of modules on Media and Communications; PR, Media and Marketing; Multimedia Journalism; Media and Cultural Studies undergraduate courses. I have also taught postgraduate taught courses in Media, Communications and PR. I have significant PhD supervisory experience and welcome PhD applications on topics related to my research interests as well as from the broader subject areas in media and communications. 

'Agnes' research interests include local media and journalism, comparative media studies, digital news and communication, and social media research.

Current and recent research

  • With Professor Ilona Biernacka. 'Digital Local Public Sphere and Local Communication Online’, European Commission (Horizon 2020, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships for Prof Biernacka to work at the Centre for Research on Communities and Cultures)
  • ‘Social Media and Journalism: International Comparative Study’ (annual survey projects, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) with Kristine Pole and Gorkana/Cision
  • 'Social Media Adoption among Small Non-Profit Organisations' (2015-2016) funded by Communities & Culture Network+, funded by UK Research Councils
  • ‘Researching online news and communication in local communities’ October 2015-June 2016
  • 'Social Media and Community Volunteering' (2014-2015) funded by Communities & Culture Network+, funded by UK Research Councils
  • 'Museums in the Digital Age' (in partnership with Museum Development Service for Kent & Medway; 2013-2014) funded by Arts Council England
  • 'Communities, Third Sector Organisations and Social Media' (in partnership with Canterbury Voluntary Alliance, 2012-2014) funded by HEIF
  • 'Neighbours Online' (2010-2011)
  • 'Corporate Social Responsibility of Multinational Media Companies' (2010)
  • 'Changing Production Ecology of Local Newspapers in Britain' (2009-2010)

 

Supervision

I welcome PhD proposal in the following areas: digital transformations, communities, media organisations and industries, journalism, social media, local media and communication, European media and media systems, comparative media studies.

 

Publications and research outputs

Selected publications include:

(in progress) co-editor with David Baines Routledge Companion to Local Media and Journalism, Routledge (estimated date of publication is 2020)

with Sarah O’Hara and Jon Eilenberg (2018) ‘Experiencing local news online: audience practices and perceptions’, in: Journalism StudiesDOI: 10.1080/1461670X.2018.1539345

‘Hybridity and social media adoption by journalists’ in: Digital Journalism first published: 28 September 2016, DOI: 10.1080/21670811.2016.1232170

‘Social Media and Journalism: Hybridity, Convergence, Changing Relationship with the Audience and Fragmentation’ in Eldridge and Franklin (2016) (eds.) Routledge Companion to Digital Journalism Studies, Routledge.

Final project report and Policy recommendation report, 'Social media and Small non-profit organisations’, project funded by Communities and Cultures Network+, March 2016, http://www.communitiesandculture.org/projects/outputs/

Gulyás and Hammer (2013) (eds) Public Service Media In The Digital Age: International Perspectives¸ Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

'The influence of professional variables on social media use and views about the tools among UK journalists' in: Digital Journalism, 2013, DOI: 10.1080/21670811.2012.744559.

'Changing Business Models and Adaptation Strategies of Local Newspapers' in John Mair, Neil Fowler, Ian Reeves (eds by) What Do We Mean By Local?, 2012, Arima publishing.

'Public service media in local communities: a case study from England' in: Gulyas and Hammer (2013) (eds) Public Service Media In The Digital Age: International Perspectives¸ Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

‘Corporate social responsibility in the British media industries — preliminary findings’ in:Media, Culture & Society, July 2009, Volume 31, No. 4; pp657-668.

Western influences in the Print Media of Post-Communist East-Central Europe’ in: The Journal of International Communication, Vol. 10, No. 1, 2004, pp 108-130.

‘Print Media in Post-Communist East Central Europe’ in: European Journal of Communication, Vol. 18. No.1, 2003, pp 81-106.

Communist Media Economics and the Consumers - The Case of Print Media of East Central Europe’, in: JMM- The International Journal on Media Management, 2001, Vol 3, Issue 2, pp74-81.

Research Projects

  • ‘Practice-Based Research on Post-Apocalyptic Imagery in Science Fiction Cinema (1970-2019). Researcher(s): Miss Ashlinn Nash-Mcnulty. Supervisor(s): Dr Andy Birtwistle, Professor Agnes Gulyas. [Postgraduate Research Project (past)]
  • 2013 social journalism study: how journalists view and use social media and their relationship with PR. Researcher(s): Mrs Kristine Pole, Professor Agnes Gulyas. [Project report]
  • A comparative study on the differences in content producing, narrating and communication effects of propaganda main-melody films from 2000 between China and the west. Researcher(s): Ms Shuchang Dai. Supervisor(s): Professor Agnes Gulyas, Dr Nicholas Furze, Dr Ruth Sanz Sabido. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • A critical evaluation of how mental health is communicated through Pixar and Disney animations from 1990 - 2023.. Researcher(s): Miss Josephine Schembri. Supervisor(s): Professor Agnes Gulyas, Dr Ruth Sanz Sabido. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • Art, Architecture, and Audience: Residents' Perspectives on Changzhou's Developing Cultural Sites. Researcher(s): Ms Xiaoxiao Gao. Supervisor(s): Dr Katie McGown, Professor Agnes Gulyas. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • Cinematic Soundscapes of Japanese and Hollywood Film Noir: A Practice-Based Comparative Study. Researcher(s): Miss Tez Messina. Supervisor(s): Dr Andy Birtwistle, Dr Nicholas Furze, Professor Agnes Gulyas. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • Digital transformations in the local newspaper sectors in Belgium, Italy and the United Kingdom: a European comparative analysis.. Researcher(s): Miss Aurora Patera. Supervisor(s): Professor Agnes Gulyas, Dr Andrew Butler, Dr Andy Birtwistle. [Postgraduate Research Project (past)]
  • Empathy behind animal anthropomorphism: An exploration of the discourse of animal welfare in visual communication.. Researcher(s): Ms Ya Gao. Supervisor(s): Professor Agnes Gulyas, Dr Andy Birtwistle. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • Gender and Sports in Algeria: Visual and Thematic Analysis of Media, Social and Cultural Factors.. Researcher(s): Miss Radia Sidi Said. Supervisor(s): Professor Agnes Gulyas, Professor Shane Blackman. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • How are vine videos communicated within a campaign. Researcher(s): Miss Hannah Berkeley. Supervisor(s): Professor Agnes Gulyas, Professor Shane Blackman. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • Is it only possible to understand real world events through the prism of fictional narrative?. Researcher(s): Miss Sally Cleverley. Supervisor(s): Mr Alexander Choat, Professor Agnes Gulyas. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • Operational and organisational frameworks of hyperlocal media. Researcher(s): Dr Carol Arnold. Supervisor(s): Professor Shane Blackman, Professor Agnes Gulyas. [Postgraduate Research Project (past)]
  • Research on Gender Culture in China’s Game Industry: An analysis of game characters, player experience and game development from a gender perspective. Researcher(s): Mrs Shanshan Liu. Supervisor(s): Professor Agnes Gulyas, Dr Nicholas Furze, Dr Ruth Sanz Sabido. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • Research on the media image of characteristic towns based on integrated marketing communication. Researcher(s): Miss Chengchen Pan. Supervisor(s): Dr Jane Lovell, Professor Agnes Gulyas, Professor Shane Blackman. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • Social media and community volunteering. Researcher(s): Professor Agnes Gulyas. [Project report]
  • Social media and small non profit organisations. Researcher(s): Professor Agnes Gulyas. [Project report]
  • Social Media Marketing Strategies. Researcher(s): Mrs Emma Inns. Supervisor(s): Professor Agnes Gulyas, Dr Magz Hall. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • The effect of social media on modest fashion business: a qualitative study on the role of fashion shows, magazines and female Muslim influencers in online marketing. Researcher(s): Miss Rim Benyoub. Supervisor(s): Professor Shane Blackman, Professor Agnes Gulyas. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • The House Was Like Her: Rebuilding the Post-Traumatic Home Through Art Practice. Researcher(s): Miss Rebecca Truscott-Elves. Supervisor(s): Professor Agnes Gulyas, Dr Andy Birtwistle. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 AND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ON THE MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS, IN RELATION TO STUDENT RECRUITMENT.. Researcher(s): Miss Emma-Jean Williams. Supervisor(s): Professor Agnes Gulyas, Professor Shane Blackman. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • Youth Digital Cultures and Gender: A Comparative Mixed Method Analysis of Algerian Influencers' Discourses and Performances on YouTube in a Multi-Thematic Context. Researcher(s): Miss Dalal Belarbi. Supervisor(s): Professor Agnes Gulyas, Professor Shane Blackman. [Postgraduate Research Project]

Agnes is on the editorial board of the academic journals Digital Journalism and Media and Communication, as well as a member of the Arts and Humanities Research Council Peer Review College. She is a founding member of the Local and Community Media research network of the Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association, where she is also a member of the Executive committee. She is Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She was a member of the Advisory Group for the QAA Communication, Media, Film and Cultural Studies Subject Benchmark Statement 2024. 

Memberships

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
  • Strategic Reviewer and member of the AHRC Peer Review College
  • Member of the Executive Committee of the Media, Communication and Cultural Association (MeCCSA)
  • Member of the Digital Economy 'Communities and Culture' Network+

Conferences I organised

  • MeCCSA 2016
  • 'Communities and Digital Transformation', Canterbury Christ Church University, 12th June 2013
  • 'Social Media, Journalism and Communication Practitioners', International Symposium, Canterbury Christ Church University, 7 September 2012
  • with Ferenc Hammer, ELTE, Hungary 'Audiences, Users, and Producers of Public Service Content' International Symposium, Canterbury Christ Church University, 23 May 2012

Selected conferences

  • ‘Consumption and Perceptions of Local News Online’ presented at MeCCSA 2019, University of Stirling, 8-11 January 2019
  • ‘Cultures and perceptions of news online’ presented at ECREA 2018, University of Lugano, 31 October – 3 November 2018
  • ‘What is local news online? Audience perceptions and consumption patterns of local news in the digital age’ with Sarah O’Hara presented at ‘Future of Journalism 2017’ conference, University of Cardiff, 14-15 Sept 2017
  • ‘Social media adoption by journalists in different media systems’ presented at Culture, Media, Equality and Freedom, MeCCSA Annual Conference 2017, University of Leeds, Leeds, 11-13 Jan 2017
  • ‘Local communications and news online’ with Sarah O’Hara presented at the Local Media, Dealing with the Local: Media, Proximity and Community’ Pre-Conference to ECREA´s sixth European Communication Conference, ECC, Prague, Czech Republic, 8 November 2016
  • ‘Perception of the EU in UK media’ invited plenary speaker at World Journalism Congress, Auckland, New Zealand, 13-16 July 2016
  • ‘Social media adoption by journalists: an international comparison’ invited plenary speaker at World Journalism Congress, Auckland, New Zealand, 13-16 July 2016
  • ‘Social media adoption and digital literacy in small third sector organisations’ paper presented at annual conference of MeCCSA, 7-9 January 2015, Northumbria University,
  • ‘Evolving Social Media Practices of Journalists: an International Comparative Study’ paper presented at Hybridity and the News: Hybrid Forms of Journalism in the 21st Century international conference, Department of Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium, 4-5 December 2014.
  • 'Adoption of social media among journalists in Australia, Canada, France, Finland, Germany, Sweden, UK, US' paper to be presented at Challenging Communication Research, 2013 Conference of the International Communication Association, London, 17-21 June 2013.
  • 'Changing Production Ecology of Regional Media' paper presented at the European Media Management Association Annual Conference, University of Westminster, London, UK, Marylebone Campus, 5-6 February 2010.