Alcides Velasquez

Ph.D., Michigan State University
Rhetoric & Political Communication

Alcides Velasquez (Ph.D., Michigan State University) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies. His research examines the interplay between social media, social identity, and political communication, with a particular focus on marginalized communities. His work investigates how identity-based perceptions, such as stigma, discrimination, perceived injustice, and hostile media perceptions, emerge in digital media environments, and how these perceptions influence social media political expression, participation, and attitudes.

In his research, Dr. Velasquez has explored how social media facilitate collective expression, enable identity-based mobilization, and create opportunities for resisting negative group portrayals. Much of his research focuses on U.S. Latino populations and Latin American contexts. His recent projects include a multi-method study of stigma in political and media discourse during U.S. elections.

His work has been published in leading journals such as Communication Research, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, New Media & Society, Social Media + Society, Information, Communication & Society, Mass Communication and Society, and Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, among others.

At KU, Dr. Velasquez teaches courses on political communication, communication and technology, media representations of race and ethnicity, and research methods including content analysis. He also mentors graduate and undergraduate students.