Your Guide to Executive Learning

All experts
AboutBiographyCases

James Katz

Feld Professor of Emerging Media; Director, Division of Emerging Media Studies at Boston University

Schools

  • Boston University

Links

    Biography

    Boston University

    James E. Katz, PhD, is the Feld Professor of Emerging Media at Boston University’s College of Communication. In addition, he directs its Division of Emerging Media Studies. The Division addresses the process of how new media technologies are created and introduced to users, the effects they have on users, and how technologies and the content they produce are molded, co-constructed and re-constructed by users.

    Dr. Katz joins BU from Rutgers University where he held the title of Board of Governors Professor of Communication, the highest honor the University can bestow on a member of its faculty. During his time at Rutgers, Katz served two terms as chair of the Department of Communication and also directed the Center for Mobile Communication Studies, which he founded in 2004. Earlier in his career, Dr. Katz headed the social science research unit at Bell Communications Research, which also honored him with the title of Distinguished Member of Staff.

    Dr. Katz has devoted his career to analyzing the uses and social consequences of emerging communication technologies, especially the Internet and telephone. He explores how they affect social interaction and what their uses reveal about human nature and organizations and was among the first to demonstrate their pro-social uses. He also seeks to understand what the future holds in terms of society and communication technologies and works with others to explore ways in which society can best prepare itself to make the optimal use of new developments.

    Katz has published widely. Among his books are Magic in the Air: Mobile Communication and the Transformation of Social Life, Social Consequences of Internet Use: Access, Involvement, Expression (with Ronald E. Rice) and Handbook of Mobile Communication Studies. He is author or co-author of more than 70 peer-reviewed articles. His works have been translated into seven languages.

    Dr. Katz has won many awards for his scholarship, including the 2011 Ogburn career achievement award from the American Sociological Association and the 2009 Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Twentieth Century Communications History. He received from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano the Medalion per il Lectio Magistralis, a most esteemed honor in the European academic tradition. He is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement Science (AAAS), one of America’s most important scientific societies, has served as editor of Human Communication Research, a top-ranked journal in the field and has been awarded fellowships at Harvard, Princeton and MIT. In 2012, he completed a term as the chair of the International Communication Association’s Division on Communication and Technology. He holds two US patents, one of which has been patented internationally.

    Read about executive education

    Cases

    Candidates use social media to Link to voters

    July 19, 2015

    Boston Herald James Katz, College of Communication LinkedIn may not have the youthful shine of Facebook and Twitter, but it could help make presidential hopefuls more accessible and serve as a pathway to the white male voter base, analysts say… Expert quote: “It’s good whenever you can make something easier even just by eliminating an […]

    View full article

    Google axes the sale of Google Glass, for now

    January 16, 2015

    Christian Science Monitor James Katz, College of Communication Google announced it would halt sales of its wearable Google Glass headset… View full article quoting expert James Katz

    View full article

    How the Camera Doomed Google Glass

    January 15, 2015

    The Atlantic James Katz, College of Communication Since its debut in 2012, Google Glass always faced a strong headwind. Even on celebrities it looked, well, dorky… Expert quote: “I found that it was not very useful for very much, and it tended to disturb people around me that I have this thing.” View full article

    View full article

    A Social Media President?

    December 22, 2014

    PBS “The Open Mind” James Katz, College of Communication View video of expert James Katz

    View full article

    Google Glass To Get New Life With Intel Chip [Report]

    December 1, 2014

    WebProNews James Katz, College of Communication Last week, the Blogosphere had essentially written the epitaph for Google Glass, but a new report indicates that Google is just getting started with the device… Expert quote: “I found that it was not very useful for very much, and it tended to disturb people around me that I […]

    View full article

    Google Glass Is Dead; Long Live Smart Glasses

    November 26, 2014

    Technology Review James Katz, College of Communication Two and a half years after Google cofounder Sergey Brin unveiled Google Glass with a group of skydivers jumping from a zeppelin above San Francisco, the computer you wear on your face is falling to its death… Expert quote: “I found that it was not very useful for very […]

    View full article

    Do national parks need Wi-Fi to stay relevant?

    November 4, 2014

    Mashable James Katz, College of Communication If a teenager takes a selfie in a national park and no one sees it, did it really happen? Yellowstone National Park is known for its beautiful natural landscapes and wildlife, but that may not be enough to carry it — and other parks — through the next century… Expert […]

    View full article

    Yellowstone park considers bumping up bandwidth

    November 3, 2014

    Associated Press James Katz, College of Communication Can Old Faithful compete with Netflix? The prospect of streaming wireless service deep inside Yellowstone National Park is re-igniting the debate over whether there should be any place off limits to technology… Expert quote: “It was quite fascinating to see a naturally-occurring experiment about what happens when you […]

    View full article

    Facebook is threat to marriage, study says

    July 8, 2014

    Houston Chronicle James Katz, College of Communication Love and marriage may go together but so do Facebook and divorce, that’s according to a study based on Texas couples… Expert quote: “The apparent association between the use of Facebook and other social networking sites and divorce and marital unhappiness in the United States raises troubling questions […]

    View full article

    Is Facebook causing divorces?

    July 8, 2014

    Wall Street Journal Live (subscription required) James Katz, College of Communication View video of expert James Katz

    View full article

    Other experts

    John O'Dwyer

    John O’Dwyer is an Adjunct Professor and Executive-in-Residence at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Since 2002 he has been teaching in Rotman’s Executive Education programs, as well as GettingItDone®, a final-year MBA elective course. Over the past thirty years, John’s pro...

    Caroline Hoxby

    Research Statement A public and labor economist, Caroline Hoxby, is a leading scholar in the economics of education. Some of her research areas include the outcomes of graduates from different colleges, public school finance, school choice, and the effect of education on economic growth and incom...

    Heather Sheehan

    Managing Director Crispy Concepts, LLC Heather's career spans more than 30 years in the manufacturing and transportation industries and includes experience living and working in Asia. She also held various leadership positions in procurement, logistics and marketing with Honeywell, Union Pacific...

    Looking for an expert?

    Contact us and we'll find the best option for you.

    Something went wrong. We're trying to fix this error.