Melanie Joy McNaughton, PhD

a communication scholar exploring visual, popular, and material culture.


Curious about how we create and communicate identity, Dr. Melanie McNaughton’s research concentrations combine communication and critical cultural studies approaches, exploring how we use everyday things to communicate identity and to understand the world around us.

As a communication studies scholar focused on visual, popular and material culture, Dr. McNaughton has written extensively in these areas, from topics like design and domesticity, to BDSM culture and 50 Shades of Grey, disaster photography, graphic design, and tattooing.