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Joseph B. Walther holds the Bertelsen Presidential Chair in Technology and Society at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Communication and Director of the Center for Information Technology and Society. He has been recognized as a Fulbright Scholar and is a Fellow of the International Communication Association and a Distinguished Scholar of the National Communication Association. His research primarily focuses on the impact of interpersonal and intergroup dynamics on attitudes and behaviors that emerge in mediated interactions, particularly in personal relationships and groups, as well as in contexts of inter-ethnic conflict. Dr. Walther developed the social information processing theory of mediated communication, along with the hyperpersonal model of online communication, which addresses how individuals experience intense emotions and connections in digital contexts. His recent work extends to examining online hate, specifically looking at the social motivations and gratifications of participants in the informal organization of hate campaigns.