MUHAMMAD AWAISResearcher · Educator · Content Creator

RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS

Understanding media.
Examining a digital society.

My research brings together artificial intelligence, media and communication, and computational social science.

View my ORCID profile
01

AI & Society

How artificial intelligence is framed in public discourse, and what it means for power, equity, and social life.

02

Media & Communication

Digital media, news narratives, political communication, gender, and public engagement.

03

Computational Social Science

Using data and computational methods to examine communication and social phenomena across countries.

Published papers

38 papers

2026

11 papers

  1. News Media, Narrative Authority, and the Global Ordering of Artificial Intelligence

    Ragnedda, M., Ruiu, M. L., & Awais, M.

    International Journal of Communication, 20, 2401–2422

    View DOI

  2. Being There Without Being There: The Association Between Online Religious Participation and Physical Attendance

    Awais, M.

    Society

    View DOI

  3. Is artificial intelligence empowering or posing risks to feminism and women’s rights? Evidence from global press coverage

    Awais, M.

    Media, Culture & Society

    View DOI

  4. From Washington to Brussels: Comparative Media Coverage of the Trump Zelenskyy Meeting in Europe and the U.S.

    Awais, M., & Ali, F.

    International Politics

    View DOI

  5. Global Divides in Academic Knowledge Production: Mapping Social Media and Society Research

    Awais, M.

    Annals of the International Communication Association

    View DOI

  6. Constructing War in News: Discursive Logics of the Pahalgam Crisis in Indian and Pakistani Press

    Awais, M.

    Media, War and Conflict

    View DOI

  7. When Words Disempower: A Computational Feminist Analysis of Dowry Narratives in South Asian Press

    Awais, M., & Ali, F.

    Journalism

    View DOI

  8. Polio Beyond the Drop: Rethinking Vaccine Hesitancy in Urdu Tweets Beyond Western Behavioral Models

    Awais, M.

    Social Science Computer Review

    View DOI

  9. Enemies in war, allies in survival: comparative climate change coverage in two South Asian arch rivals

    Awais, M., & Farouk, A.

    Media Asia

    View DOI

  10. Engaging science: audience perceptions of informal science communication on Arabic YouTube channels

    Daoudi, O., & Awais, M.

    Journal of Science Communication, 25(2), A04

    View DOI

  11. Justice or tradition? Cross-national media framing of honor killings in India, Pakistan, and global outlets

    Awais, M., & Al Gharaibeh, F.

    Women’s Studies International Forum, 114, 103219

    View DOI

2025

8 papers

  1. Global North vs Global South: Mapping the Bibliometric and Thematic Landscape of Sport Communication Research

    Awais, M.

    Communication & Sport

    View DOI

  2. Attachment Styles and Relationship Quality Among Dating Couples: The Mediating Role of Communication Styles

    Jaffar, A., Ali, F., & Awais, M.

    Howard Journal of Communications, 36(4), 527–547

    View DOI

  3. Counterpublics in exile: a computational analysis of Syrian YouTube podcasts during the Assad era

    Daoudi, O., & Awais, M.

    Media International Australia

    View DOI

  4. Digital diaspora: mapping emotional migration and user personas from X to Bluesky

    Awais, M.

    Quality & Quantity

    View DOI

  5. Brick kilns, schools, and rights: analyzing child labor coverage of two decades in English print media of Pakistan

    Ali, F., Awais, M., & Baig, F.

    Quality & Quantity

    View DOI

  6. Sacred Allegations, Violent Realities: Analyzing English Print Media Coverage on Blasphemy in Pakistan (2005–2023)

    Awais, M., & Ali, F.

    Journal of Media and Religion, 24(3), 91–110

    View DOI

  7. Work–Family Conflict and Conflict Resolution Styles of Married Academicians: An Application of Relational Turbulence Theory

    Ali, F., Gharaibeh, F. A., & Awais, M.

    The Family Journal

    View DOI

  8. The annual struggle for equality: Analysis of Aurat March coverage in Pakistan’s English print media (2018–2024)

    Awais, M., & Ali, F.

    Women’s Studies International Forum, 110, 103088

    View DOI

2023

1 papers

  1. Uses and Gratification Analysis of the Viewers of Infotainment Programs of Pakistan

    Awais, M., & Saleem, N.

    Gomal University Journal of Research, 38(3), 330–347

    View DOI

2022

5 papers

  1. Personality Traits, Narcissism and TikTok Addiction: A Parallel Mediation Approach

    Asad, K., Ali, F., & Awais, M.

    International Journal of Media and Information Literacy, 7(2), 293–304

    View DOI

  2. When Technology Becomes a Policing Agent: Effects of Raids on Restaurants in Leading Crime Shows on the Youth of Pakistan

    Awais, M., & Ali, F.

    International Journal of Media and Information Literacy, 7(1), 18–27

    View DOI

  3. Exposure to Multiple Communication Channels and Preventive Behaviors during COVID-19 in Pakistan: An Application of Extended Parallel Process Model

    Awais, M., Ali, F., & Kanwal, A.

    Journal of Media Studies, 37(1)

    View paper

  4. Social Media Exposure and Preventive Behaviors against COVID-19 in Pakistan

    Awais, M., & Ali, F.

    Journal of Media Studies, 36(1)

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  5. Social Media Use and Self-Sexualization Behaviour Among University Girls: A Serial Mediation Approach

    Maqbool, K., Ali, F., Awais, M., & Nadeem, M. A.

    Media Education, 17(2), 338–349

    View paper

2021

2 papers

  1. Social Media Use and Political Polarization: The Mediating Role of Political Engagement and Political Loyalty

    Ali, F., Awais, M., & Faran, M.

    International Journal of Media and Information Literacy, 6(1), 17–33

    View paper

  2. Health-Related Information Seeking During COVID-19: Testing the Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking on University Students of Pakistan

    Shaheen, H., Ali, F., Awais, M., & Saeed, M.

    International Journal of Media and Information Literacy, 6(1), 201–210

    View paper

2020

11 papers

  1. Individual-Level Factors and Variation in Exposure to Online Hate Material: A Cross-National Comparison of Four Asian Countries

    Awais, M., Ali, F., & Kanwal, A.

    Journal of Media Studies, 35(2)

    View paper

  2. Laugh Labs and Their Treatment: Analysis of the Satirical Language of Leading Infotainment Programs of Pakistani News Channels

    Awais, M., Hameed ur Rahman, B., Ali, F., & Zulfiqar, A.

    Journal of Media Studies, 35(1), 103–135

    View paper

  3. Media Exposure and Fear About Crime: An Application of Mediated Fear Model

    Awais, M., Abbas, S., Ali, F., & Ashraf, A.

    The Journal of Social Sciences Research, 6(7), 720–726

    View DOI

  4. Effects of Job Insecurity on Media Professionals of Pakistan

    Ashraf, A., Tayyib, M., Ali, F., & Awais, M.

    Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict, 24(3)

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  5. Social Media Intrusion and Psychological Adjustment Among University Students: The Mediating Role of Religious Commitment and Spirituality

    Haroon, M., Saeed, M., Ali, F., & Awais, M.

    Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict, 24(3)

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  6. Rendering Muslims as Terrorists in the English Comic Books: Analysis of Liberty for All and Holly Terror

    Ijaz, S., Awais, M., Nadeem, A. M., & Ali, F.

    The Journal of Social Sciences Research, 6(8), 785–796

    View DOI

  7. Social Media Use and Political Polarization: Political Engagement as a Mediator

    Amjad, K., Saeed, M., Ali, F., & Awais, M.

    The Journal of Social Sciences Research, 6(8), 804–810

    View DOI

  8. Media Objectification and Women Clothing Buying Behavior: Social Comparison and Self-Gratification as Mediators

    Zaidi, A., Hanan, A., Ali, F., & Awais, M.

    International Journal of Media and Information Literacy, 5(2)

    View paper

  9. Fear of Missing Out and Psychological Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Compulsive Use and Social Comparison

    Ali, F., Siddique, A., Ibrahim, U., & Awais, M.

    Pakistan Journal of Social Issues, 11, 82–97

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  10. Social Media’s Contribution to Self-Sexualisation Behaviours Among Male Students: The Mediating Role of Self-Objectification and Internalization of Rewarded Beauty

    Awais, M., Campus, S., Maqbool, P. K., Ali, F., & Bhatti, T. F.

    Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict, 24(3)

    View paper

  11. Exposure to Mediated Celebrities and Mate Preferences: The Mediating Role of Identification and Parasocial Relationships

    Zafar, Z., Ali, F., Awais, M., & Saeed, M.

    Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict, 24(3)

    View paper

WORK IN PROGRESS

Selected manuscripts under review

These manuscripts are listed as under review in my CV and are not included in the published papers above.

  • Newspapers’ Ambivalence Toward Feminism: Between Legitimacy and Contestation

    Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly · Single author Under review

  • When Does Dual Affiliation Pay Off? The Conditional Advantage of Affiliations Across Countries in Communication Research

    Scientometrics · Single author Under review

  • Evidence and Remedies for Inequality in Communication Research (1858–2024)

    Communication Studies · First author Under review

  • Information Disorder Reduces Social Trust: Evidence from 19 Countries

    Mass Communication & Society · First author Under review

  • How Should Science Talk in Digital Spaces? An Analysis of the United Nations Environment Programme’s YouTube Channel

    International Journal of Science Education, Part B · Single author Under review

TEACHING & RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Learning through
research and practice.

I teach at the intersection of artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and society. My previous courses include research methods, statistics, digital media and society, communication theory, and media literacy.

I have supervised MPhil research and led workshops on qualitative analysis, NVivo, and MAXQDA, including at the University of Sharjah, Boston University, the University of Connecticut, and Communication University of China.

View complete academic CV
  1. 2026–PRESENT

    Assistant Professor

    KIMEP University
    School of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence

  2. 2024–2026

    Postdoctoral Research Associate

    University of Sharjah
    Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences · College of Communication

  3. 2018–2024

    Lecturer & Department Head

    University of Management and Technology
    School of Media and Communication Studies · Sialkot Campus

  4. 2022

    Research Scholar

    Harvard University
    Faculty of Arts and Sciences