Research Interests

Political rhetoric; popular culture; conspiracy theories and conspiracy rhetoric; rhetorical agency; victimhood; fandom and fan studies; critical and cultural studies

Selected Publications

Whiteside, A. (2026). Feminism, so confusing: Charli XCX’s Brat and nihilistic feminism. Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, 23(2), 185-202. https://doi.org/10.1080/14791420.2026.2637426

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, 23(2), 287-309. 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[Recipient of the SOGI Caucus Outstanding Scholarship Award from the Central States Communication Association]

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., & Neville-Shepard, R. (2026, May). Hypermimetic genres and the affect of suspicion: Citizen sleuthing and conspiracy rhetoric in true crime podcasting. Paper presented at the Rhetoric Society of America Convention, Portland, OR.

Studebaker, M.A., Whiteside, A., & McBride, M. (2026, May). Fakebian or gold star lesbian: Homonormative purity rhetorics of lateral containment. Paper presented at the Rhetoric Society of America Convention, Portland, OR.

Whiteside, A. (2026, April). Hiding in plain sight: “Gaylor” and the agentic fourth persona in parasocial savior conspiracy theories. Paper presented at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Minneapolis, MN. [Popular Culture Interest Group Founders Award recipient]

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. [Laureate for the James L. Golden Outstanding Student Essay in Rhetoric]

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]

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]