Cameron Bunker
Assistant Professor, School of Communication
Dr. Cameron Bunker’s research program focuses on how people think, feel, and behave on social media relative to physical life, and how cultural background influences this relationship. His methods range from cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys, self and observer reports of personality, and behavioral data collected via logged smartphone use.
He publishes in high-impact journals including Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking; Computers in Human Behavior; and Technology, Mind & Behavior. His ultimate goal is to bridge ideas across disciplines to promote healthy relationships between people and technology.
At Emerson College, Dr. Bunker directs the Selves and Media Laboratory — a space where students can participate in research outside of the classroom. The Selves and Media Collective examines how people perceive and present themselves differently across media and the physical world. Media can enhance or expand the way people perceive or present themselves, but also limit self-processes; Dr. Bunker is passionate about mentoring students and collaborating with others to investigate this critical duality surrounding today’s selves and media.
Courses
- Communication Media and Society
- Media Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Advanced Topics in Psychology
- Methods of Inquiry in Media Psychology
- Topics in Media Psychology
- Directed Study
Academic Work
- 2025, “Social media addiction moderates links between perceptions of freedom and mental health in the United States and Germany,” with Margraf, J. & Brailovskaia, J. Psychology of Popular Media, 15(2), 166-176
- 2024, “Perceiving the self as authentic on social media precedes lesser negative mental health: A longitudinal approach,” with Balcerowska, J.M., Precht, L., Margraf, J., & Brailovskaia, J. Computers in Human Behavior, 152, 108056.
- 2024, “Similarity between perceived selves on social media and offline and its relationship with psychological well-being in early and late adulthood,” with Kwan, V.S.Y. Computers in Human Behavior, 152, 108025.
- 2023, “Deviation from design: Social media use is linked to less connection between the self and others,” with Kwan, V.S.Y. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, & Social Networking.
- 2021, “Do the offline and social media Big Five have the same dimensional structure, mean levels, and predictive validity of social media outcomes?” with Kwan, V.S.Y. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 15(4).
- 2021, “How strong is the association between social media use and false consensus?” with Varnum, M.E.W. Computers in Human Behavior, 125, 106947.
