The Governance & Digital Experience (GovDX) Lab investigates how digital technologies are reshaping interactions between government institutions, nonprofits, and the public.

Our research focuses on three key areas:

  • Understanding the impact of user-centered and user experience (UX) design principles on digital interactions between governments and the people they serve, including on experiences of administrative burden.

  • Examining how social media platforms and their algorithmic dynamics are transforming communication and the impacts of “algorithm-aware” communication strategies used by public and nonprofit organizations on institutional authority and voice, reputation, and social equity.

  • The governance of AI and algorithmic systems with a particular focus on transparency, accountability, and the unique roles of government and civil society in promoting responsible AI design and implementation. 

Learn More About What We Are Working On

Algorithm-Aware Government Communication: How are Public Agencies Leveraging Memes, Pop Culture, and Ephemeral Content To Increase Engagement on Social Media and What Are the Impacts?

Today, social media platforms such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok represent dominant media environments that provide users with tools to share content, engage with one another, and drive global conversations. As these media have continued to evolve and transform, each platform has come to possess its own affordances, constraints, and unique cultural norms. 

Of all, the algorithm is perhaps the most influential in shaping each platform’s cultural norms. Social media algorithms shape what content is visible to users and create feedback loops by incentivizing certain types of behavior, content, and engagement. These algorithms have come to govern social media platforms through a strong emphasis on engagement metrics that prioritize, reward, and even penalize specific types of content, which in turn, influences what users post and how they engage with one another. In this way, metrics such as likes, comments, and shares function as a form of currency where engagement generates more engagement which translates into greater visibility of users and their content.

This suggests that in order for public sector organizations to be effective on social media, they must adapt their communication practices to align with a given platform’s norms and the incentives of commercial platform ecosystems. Such algorithm-aware strategies include adapting content to fit the affordances, constraints, and logics of specific platforms. It also increasingly means navigating algorithmic pressures that privilege certain types of content over others and operating within a broader online ecosystem and “internet culture” which has its own unique (and often ephemeral) trends, jokes, and even vernacular i.e., “internet-speak.” 

Drawing heavily on the work of media theorists Marshall McLuhan and Neil Postman, this research considers how the modalities and incentives of social media platforms are reshaping government communication and the ways that governments are navigating the paradigm shift that commercial social media platforms have produced in the broader media environment. Additionally, this work is interested in the implications of algorithmically-driven social media strategies for reputation management, institutional voice, and public perceptions, including social equity. 

Using a mixed-methods research design, we explore how government agencies are leveraging algorithm-friendly content such as memes, pop culture references, and trending audio, filters, and hashtags to creatively adapt bureaucratic communication into digital culture in ways that maximize visibility and engagement on social media platforms.

Project Start Date: March 2024

Current Status:

  • Qualitative Data Analysis (Study 1);

  • Experimental Research Design - Perceptions of Memes as a Communication Strategy Across Demographic Groups (Study 2);

  • Experimental Research Design - Agency Responses to Hostile Social Media Comments and Perceptions of Institutional Authority (Study 3).

This project includes “Meme-ifying Government: Understanding Public Perceptions of Memetic Communication” which was funded by: Minerva Center for High Impact Learning’s Innovation Funding for Research & Creative Endeavors (2025).

The Role of Civil Society Organizations in AI Governance

“Shaping Ethical and Responsible AI: The Role of Civil Society Organizations in AI Governance” examines how civil society organizations (CSOs) in the US influence the development and implementation of AI governance activities and frameworks. Using Resource Mobilization Theory as a theoretical framework, we identify and analyze over 50 CSOs involved in AI governance, including prominent organizations like the Algorithmic Justice League, Partnership on AI, and the Center for Democracy & Technology. 

The study uses qualitative methods to investigate two key questions:

  1. How are civil society organizations helping to shape the governance of AI?

  2. What unique opportunities and challenges exist in the mobilization of resources for these CSOs in their work on AI governance?

Preliminary findings indicated that CSOs make significant contributions through a number of pathways:

  • Development of AI assessment tools and safety standards;

  • Monitoring and accountability;

  • Influence on industry standards;

  • Building technical and policy expertise;

  • Public communication, education, and raising awareness;

  • Knowledge production/R&D;

  • Policy advocacy.

The research also reveals that while financial resources for AI-related initiatives are currently abundant due to the economic power of “Big Tech”, CSOs have to navigate this environment with great care due to the conditions and potential reputational risks that come with accepting funding from tech companies. 

This ongoing research is expected to contribute to our understanding of how civil society is helping to shape the development and deployment of AI technologies through informal and formal governance mechanisms, in addition to the growing importance of technical expertise, regulatory understanding, and public communication as the AI governance landscape continues to evolve.

Project Start Date: February 2024

Current Status: Qualitative analysis of organizational documents from a final sample of approximately 15 CSOs.

Are you a fellow researcher or a public or nonprofit organization interested in collaborating?

If so, send me an email!

UX Design and Experiences of Administrative Burdens

For governments around the world, the digitalization of administrative functions, processes, and systems coupled with a user-centered philosophy has shown promise in helping agencies design and deploy digital tools centered on the needs, preferences, and experiences of end-users. Federal agencies across the U.S., for instance, are leveraging user-centered design methods to design and implement new digital tools and interfaces to improve the delivery of public programs and services. Many of these efforts are being touted as a success so far in policy and practice but as public administration scholars, our theoretical understanding of the mechanisms that influence outcomes remains quite limited. To date, we have a growing number of cases that illustrate the “what” but have very little substantive insight into the “how” or “why.” 

Drawing on the study and practice of user experience (UX) design, cognitive and behavioral science, and public management theory, this research develops an original conceptual framework mapping dimensions of digital user engagement - affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement - onto the three types of costs outlined in the administrative burden literature e.g., learning, compliance, and psychological costs. The aim is to empirically test the framework in an attempt to tease out the theoretical mechanisms that can advance understanding of how digitalization and interface design, more specifically, impact public service outcomes.

Project Start Date: September 2024

Current Status: Finalizing research design for Experimental Study 1: Effects of Explained Frictions.

This research was awarded the Paul A. Volcker Junior Scholar Grant Award from the American Political Science Association’s Public Administration Section (2024).

Meet the GovDX Lab Team

  • Kayla Schwoerer, Ph.D.

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

    I am thrilled to lead the Governance & Digital Experience (GovDX) Lab and its research on how digital technologies are transforming interactions between government and the public it serves. My goal is to conduct rigorous interdisciplinary research that contributes to theory and practice, while also fostering a fun and collaborative environment where students can develop skills by actively participating in the research process from idea generation to publication, and everything in between. I hope that the GovDX Lab is a place where students feel empowered to ask questions, take creative risks, and discover their own research interests and passion for leveraging the power of research to improve the world around us. When I’m not busy academic-ing, you can usually find me at a fitness class, at a concert with my husband, or at home with our pug, Gwen, and cat, Marvin, watching reruns of Law & Order: SVU.

  • Md Abu Talha

    GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

    Talha is currently a first-year PhD student in Public Administration and Policy at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy. He completed both his undergraduate and master's degrees in public administration from the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh. His research interests are in the areas of public management, digital government, information and technology policy, and behavioral public administration.

    PROJECT: UX Design and Administrative Burdens

  • Kathryn Taleporos

    UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

    Hi! My name is Kathryn Taleporos, I am a senior at UAlbany majoring in Public Policy and minoring in Journalism. I am also a part of the combined MPA program at UAlbany. Outside of classes, I work as a Resident Assistant, and I am the Programming Chair for the Women in Law Association and the Managing and Arts and Culture Editor for the Albany Student Press.

    PROJECT: “Shaping Ethical and Responsible AI: The Role of Civil Society Organizations in AI Governance”

  • Akeria Adams

    UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

    Hi, my name is Akeria I am a Junior at the University at Albany majoring in Public Policy and Spanish. My passion for non-profit and public sector work began in high school when I was a youth organizer and worked around issues related to educational justice and food policy, which is also where my interest in studying Public Policy started. I am so excited to be working on this project as it gives me a different lens on applying and developing skills related to Public Policy. When I'm not researching about memes and their use by government agencies, I am interning at the NYS Assembly, tutoring Spanish, or crocheting.

    PROJECT: “Algorithm-Aware Government Communication: How are Public Agencies Leveraging Memes, Pop Culture, and Ephemeral Content To Increase Engagement on Social Media and What Are the Impacts?”

  • Larisa Ibralic

    UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

    (Minerva Center Innovation Funding)

    Larisa Ibralic is a pre-law student within the honors program of the Political Science major with a minor in Business Administration. She is interested in studying how government organizations communicate with both each other and with citizens, how government and economy intersect, and how systems of government differ around the world. To explore her interests, she participated in a fellowship at American University with Juris Mentem Law Review in which she promoted academic legal discourse, wrote a research paper for an honors course at the University at Albany examining what might motivate countries to enact compulsory voting, and is currently serving as an Undergraduate Research Assistant on a project examining how government agencies are beginning to use social media in a more modern light through employing memes and pop culture references to interact with citizens in a more meaningful way. In the future, she hopes to continue conducting legal research and become a corporate attorney.

    PROJECT: “Algorithm-Aware Government Communication: How are Public Agencies Leveraging Memes, Pop Culture, and Ephemeral Content To Increase Engagement on Social Media and What Are the Impacts?”

  • Natalie Specht

    UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

    (Minerva Center Innovation Funding)

    Hello! My name is Natalie Specht, and I am a sophomore at the University at Albany. I am majoring in Public Policy with a concentration in Human Services. My main academic interests are educational and immigration policy. I also study French and speak it fluently. Outside of academics, I am on the executive boards of the French club and of the Honors College student governing board, and I work as a substitute teacher!

    PROJECT: “Algorithm-Aware Government Communication: How are Public Agencies Leveraging Memes, Pop Culture, and Ephemeral Content To Increase Engagement on Social Media and What Are the Impacts?”

  • Katharina Dauterman

    UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

    Hi! My name is Katharina Dauterman. I am a third-year student at the University of Albany, double majoring in Political Science and Chinese Studies. My academic focus includes International politics, Chinese political history, and Chinese language. During my free time, I love to cook, bake, play with my cats, and crochet. I’m excited about this project, and I look forward to the outcomes of our research!

    PROJECT: “Algorithm-Aware Government Communication: How are Public Agencies Leveraging Memes, Pop Culture, and Ephemeral Content To Increase Engagement on Social Media and What Are the Impacts?”

  • Max Dydynski

    UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

    Hello! I am Max Dydynski, a junior at Rockefeller College at the University at Albany where I am pursuing a degree in Public Policy and Management with a concentration in Local Government. Since I can remember I have had a passion for helping others and serving my community. I have had the honor to work within many different levels of government doing just that! Having been in the public sector I have seen the effects of administrative burden firsthand and have grown interested in how I could help. This semester I am excited to work with Dr. Schwoerer to further explore administrative burden and its effects.

    PROJECT: UX Design and Administrative Burdens