ZACHARY MASSEY’s research investigates how people process and respond to theoretically derived health and risk messages, including scientific communication related to tobacco and cannabis use, sexually transmitted diseases, and health disparities among underserved communities. This work seeks to deepen public understanding of science and inform regulatory decision-making. He received his Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Oklahoma in 2019 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the School of Public Health at Georgia State University. He joined the School of Journalism in August 2021.

Dr. Massey uses qualitative and quantitative methods. He has published in high-impact journals, such as the Journal of Medical Internet Research, Tobacco Control, and Human Communication Research, and collaborated on interdisciplinary projects funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Refereed publications

Massey, Z. B., Brockenberry, L. O., & Harrell, P. T. (2021). Dripping technology use among young adult e-cigarette users. Tobacco Use Insights.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1179173X211035448

Yang, B., Massey, Z. B., & Popova, L. (2021). Effects of language features of modified risk tobacco product claims on consumer comprehension and risk perceptions of IQOS. Tobacco Control.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-056191

Massey, Z. B., Wong, N. C. H., & Barbati, J. L. (2021). Meeting the (Trans)parent: Test of parasocial contact with transgender characters on reducing stigma towards transgender people. Communication Studies, 72, 232-250.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2021.1876125

Massey, Z. B., Brockenberry, L. O., & Harrell, P. T. (2020). Vaping, smartphones, and social media use among young adults: Snapchat is the platform of choice for young adult vapers. Addictive Behaviors, 112, 1-8.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106576

Massey, Z. B., Li, Y., Holli, J., Churchill, V., Yang, B., Henderson, K., Ashley, D. L., & Popova, L. (2020). Modifications to electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS): A content analysis of YouTube videos. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22, e17104.
https://doi.org/10.2196/17104

Owusu, D., Massey, Z. B., & Popova, L. (2020). An experimental study of messages communicating potential harms of electronic cigarettes. PloS One, 15, e0240611.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240611

Churchill, V., Weaver, S. R., Spears, C., Huang, J., Massey, Z. B., Pechacek, T. F., Ashley, D. L., Popova, L. (2020). IQOS debut in the United States: Philip Morris International’s heat-not-burn device introduced in Atlanta, GA. Tobacco Control, 29, e152-e154.
https://doi.org/10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2019-055488

Bessarabova, E. B. & Massey, Z. B. (2020). Testing terror management health model and integrating its predictions with the theory of psychological reactance. Communication Monographs, 87, 25-46.
https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2019.1626992
Published Article of the Year Award, Communication and Social Cognition Division, NCA

Banas, J. B., Bessarabova, E. B., & Massey, Z. B. (2020). Reducing prejudice via mediated contact: A meta-analysis. Human Communication Research, 46, 120-160.
https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqaa004

Banas, J. B., Bisel, R. S., Kramer, M. W., & Massey, Z. B. (2019). The serious business of instructional humor outside the classroom: A study of elite gymnastic coaches’ uses of humor during training. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 47, 628-647.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00909882.2019.1693052

Miller, C. H., Dunbar, N. E., Jensen, M. L., Massey, Z. B., Adams, A. S., Anderson, C., Nicholls, S. B., Lee, Y-. H., Elizondo Cecena, F. J., Thompson, W., & Wilson, S. N. (2019). Training law enforcement officers to identify reliable deception cues with an interactive digital game. International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 9, 1-22.
https://doi.org/10.4018/IJGBL.2019070101

Massey, Z. B. & Miller, C. H. (2018). Case studies on interethnic conflict: A Theoretical integration. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 66, 130-147.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2018.04.006

Dunbar, N. E., Miller, C., Lee, Y-. H., Jensen, M. L., Anderson, C., Adams, A. S., Elizondo Cecena, F. J., Thompson, W., Massey, Z. B., Nicholls, S. B., Ralston, R., Donovan, J., Mathews, E., Roper, B., & Wilson, S. (2018). Reliable deception cues training in an interactive video game. Computers in Human Behavior, 85, 74-85.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.03.027