Steven L. Johnson's award-winning research adopts a social-technical perspective to investigate how AI algorithms, platforms, and social dynamics shape the discovery, creation, and sharing of digital information. His research interests encompass the impacts of AI algorithms, online platforms supporting open innovation, and the ethical use of AI. His research has applied language models to further the understanding of emergent leadership and sources of innovation in open innovation communities. Professor Johnson and his McIntire faculty co-authors were selected as Distinguished Winners of the 2021 Award for Responsible Research in Management from the Fellows of the Academy of Management and the Community for Responsible Research in Business and Management for their MIS Quarterly paper, “Understanding Echo Chambers and Filter Bubbles: The Impact of Social Media on Diversification and Partisan Shifts in News Consumption.” This paper explores the impacts of AI content prioritization algorithms on diversification and partisan shifts in news consumption.

He also earned honors with his co-authors from the University for their outstanding research contributions. In addition to the numerous classes he has taught on systems and strategy, business analytics, and information technology management, Professor Johnson has launched AI courses for both the undergraduate and graduate levels: Ethical Use of AI (undergraduate students) and Managerial View of AI (graduate students). These classes prepare students to contribute to successful AI implementations and, among other critical skills, to recognize how bias, cultural assumptions, and intercultural barriers impact the design and use of AI, as well as how to apply ethical frameworks to identify and articulate potential harms to individuals, organizations, and society. 

Featured Publications

“Understanding Echo Chambers and Filter Bubbles: The Impact of Social Media on Diversification and Partisan Shifts in News Consumption,” MIS Quarterly, 2020. Brent Kitchens, Steven L. Johnson, Peter Gray. 

“Who Contributes Knowledge? Core-Periphery Tension in Online Innovation Communities,” Organization Science, 2021. Hani Safadi, Steven L. Johnson, Samer Faraj. 

“The Emergence of Online Community Leadership,” Information Systems Research, 2015. Steven L. Johnson, Hani Safadi, Samer Faraj.