Colten Meisner, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Media Studies in the Department of Communication at North Carolina State University. His research examines the cultures and economies of social media platforms with a focus on the labor politics of emerging media and technology industries. Trained as a qualitative social scientist, Meisner has studied a wide range of media and technology workers, including traditional print journalists; founders of digital news startups; influencers and live streamers; and workers tasked with refining search engines for global cultural sensitivities.

An expert on the social media “creator economy,” Meisner’s research has been published in such journals as New Media & Society, Social Media + Society, Media, Culture & Society, Policy & Internet, and Computers in Human Behavior. In addition to his academic work, Meisner’s research has been covered with featured commentary in such outlets as TechCrunch, Business Insider, and the MIT Technology Review. His most recent academic publications can be found on Google Scholar.

Meisner completed his Ph.D. in the Department of Communication at Cornell University in 2024. Prior to joining North Carolina State University, he previously worked in sociotechnical research at Microsoft Research New England. Originally from Texas, Meisner currently resides in Cary, North Carolina, USA.