Research Interests

Political rhetoric; popular culture; conspiracy theories and conspiracy rhetoric; rhetorical agency; victimhood; fandom and fan studies; (counter)public spheres; critical and cultural studies

Selected Publications

Hatfield, J. E., Whiteside, A., Studebaker, M.A., & McBride, M. (2025). Archiving visual social media ephemera: A study of digital memorial images circulated after the suicide of a trans teenager. International Journal of LGBTQ+ Youth Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/29968992.2025.2547708

Studebaker, M. A., & Whiteside, A. (2025). Parasitic public memory: #ReclaimTheRainbow and the symbology of conservative victimhood. Communication, Culture and Critique, 18(1), 31-38. https://doi.org/10.1093/ccc/tcae053

Whiteside, A. (2024). Fandom and argumentation in the social media era: Taylor Swift fans and the rhetoric of Easter egg hunts. Argumentation and Advocacy, 60(2), 119-136. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511431.2024.2432172

Neville-Shepard, R., & Whiteside, A. (2024). Kinder-Conspiracy theories: Gravity Falls and the conspiracy genre in children’s television. Journal of Communication Inquiry. https://doi.org/10.1177/01968599231223187

Selected Presentations

Whiteside, A. (2025, November). Feminism, so confusing: Charli XCX’s Brat and nihilistic (post)feminism. Paper to be presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Denver, CO.

Hatfield, J. E., Whiteside, A., Studebaker, M.A., & McBride, M. (2025, June). Archiving visual social media ephemera: A study of digital memorial images circulated after the suicide of a trans teenager. Paper presented at the International Communication Association Convention, Denver, CO.

Whiteside, A. (2024, November). Masterminding argument: Taylor Swift fans and the rhetoric of Easter egg hunts. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, New Orleans, LA. [Laureate for the James L. Golden Outstanding Student Essay in Rhetoric]

Studebaker, M.A., & Whiteside, A. (2024, November). Parasitic public memory: #ReclaimTheRainbow and the symbology of conservative victimhood. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, New Orleans, LA.

Whiteside, A. (2024, April). How to win friends and influence elections: The January 6th insurrection and populist parasocial relationships. Paper presented at the Southern States Communication Association Convention, Frisco, TX. [Robert Bostrom Young Scholar Award recipient]