Dr. Chelsea L. Horne is a communication scholar examining media, technology, and their critical intersections with law, policy, and public life. Her work focuses on the global, political, and policy implications of digital media and emerging technology, with specialized expertise in privacy, design, digital ethics, and online trust and safety. Across her scholarly portfolio, she interrogates how technological architectures and governance frameworks shape public discourse, digital rights, and user autonomy.
Chelsea L. Horne
Assistant Professor
chh526@lehigh.edu
Education:
Ph.D. in Communication, American University
M.A. in Media, Technology, and Democracy, American University
M.F.A. in Creative Writing, American University
M.A. in Literature, Binghamton University
B.A. in English, Binghamton University
Explore this Profile×
Research Areas
Additional Interests
- Privacy
- Artificial Intelligence
- Social Media
- Internet Governance
- Information Integrity
Research Statement
Biography
Dr. Chelsea L. Horne is an Assistant Professor of Media Law and Policy in the Department of Journalism and Communication at Lehigh University.
She holds a Ph.D. in Communication from American University, as well as a Certificate in AI and Media Policy from Oxford University and a Certificate in AI Policy with Distinction from the Center for AI and Digital Policy. Prior to joining the faculty at Lehigh, she was a Senior Professorial Lecturer at American University, where she taught courses across media, culture, and technology.
Horne’s research spans communication, media and AI policy, privacy, emerging technology, information integrity, and internet governance. Her research agenda examines the global, political, and policy implications of digital media and emerging technology, with a specialization in privacy, design, trust, and safety. Her work considers media, communication, and technology through the lens of design and governance, attending to questions of privacy, fairness, law, and policy. In her current book project (under contract at MIT Press), she analyzes privacy at the intersection of media, design, policy, and platform governance to demonstrate how often-overlooked privacy settings hold major technological significance.
Recent peer-reviewed scholarship has been published in Telecommunications Policy, Routledge Studies in Shakespeare, and Writing Spaces. Horne’s essays have appeared in outlets such as The Atlantic, LitHub, The Rumpus, The Buffalo News, Washington Independent Review of Books, and Café Americain.
A frequent invited speaker and moderator, Dr. Horne regularly addresses global audiences on data governance, online trust and safety, and privacy, including recent presentations at the global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Norway and the Internet Governance Forum USA (IGF-USA). Her leadership in the field extends to serving as Vice-President of the Internet Society-DC Chapter. Horne is also a member of the Steering and Programming Committees for IGF-USA, where she is Director of Academic and Youth Engagement.
Fun fact: Horne competed as a Division I student-athlete, playing softball at Binghamton University.