STEPHENVILLE, Texas — The Journal of Social Media in Society (JSMS) has announced the naming of Tarleton State University’s Dr. Lora Helvie-Mason as Associate Editor. 

Dr. Helvie-Mason, Professor in the Department of Communication Studies, has served on the board of reviewers since the peer-reviewed journal’s first issue. 

“Dr. Helvie-Mason has been with us since the start, and her support and expertise have helped to launch the journal from a fledgling publication in 2012 to an established repository for premier research on social media and mobile technologies,” said Editor Sarah Maben.

Dr. Helvie-Mason joined Tarleton in 2012. As a communication scholar, her own research has touched on social media and pedagogy, as well as mediated representations of higher education. She also examines the impact of communication on historically marginalized populations in higher education, including perceptions of belonging.

She received her bachelor’s degree in agricultural communication with minors in communication studies and international studies from Purdue University. She completed her master’s degree in communication studies and her doctorate in adult, higher and community education from Ball State University. 

She previously served as the Director of the former Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Department Head of Communication Studies, Associate Dean of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts, and Assistant Vice President for the former Division of Student Affairs.  

The journal’s founding editors — Dr. Maben, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies, and Dr. Credence Baker, Chief of Staff and Vice President for University Strategy — started the journal to give authors a place to publish cutting-edge research devoted to social media and mobile technology. 

In 2016, Dr. Amber Harris Bozer became the journal’s first Associate Editor, and Dr. Randy McCamey followed shortly after.

The journal boasts more than 100 reviewers from institutions across the globe. The latest issue was published in fall 2023, with articles about social media and sustainability, smartphone use, anxiety, advertising irritation and employment referral. 

JSMS is an open-access publication, located at http://thejsms.org.

The Journal of Social Media in Society is one of a handful of academic journals based at Tarleton State and is supported financially by the College of Liberal and Fine Arts, College of Business, College of Graduate Studies and College of Education.

A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State University is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of approximately 18,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. For 125 years, Tarleton State has been committed to accessible higher education opportunities for all while helping students grow academically, socially and professionally through programs that emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.