Tiara Johnson

Tiara Johnson

Doctoral Advisor: Anne Osborne, Ph.D.

Education:
M.P.S., Corporate Communications and Public Relations, Georgetown University
B.A., Journalism, Georgia State University

Areas of Research: Representation of minoritized identities, entertainment media, critical cultural studies, stereotypes, and stigmas of mental health care

Bio:
Tiara Johnson is a critical qualitative scholar with research interests that sit at the intersection of minoritized representation, stereotypes/stigmas and entertainment media. More specifically, her research explores how certain depictions of minoritized identities on television either counter or support stereotypes within these communities and ultimately the role that representation on television can play in shaping the perception of self and others. Her current dissertation explores television’s treatment of the fictional Black female therapist character using a critical qualitative textual analysis.

Johnson published her book, Living with 2020 Vision: The Mental Health Awakening in the Black Community (2021), which examined how compounding events from the 2020 pandemic impacted the mental well-being of the Black community.  She is a member of the Extended Reality Lab, a collaborative research lab using VR experiences to teach media literacy. She has also collaborated with WebMD as a continuous advocate for mental health education and literacy within minoritized communities.

Presentations & Publications

  • Presented. “The Ye-troversy: A Mental Health Discourse in Urban Media” Health, Humanities and Pop Culture Division. Pop Culture Association (PCA), San Antonio TX, 2023
  • Presented. in(Visible): Black Male Representation in Primetime Series, Abbott Elementary. Newhouse Research Symposium. Spring 2024
  • Submitted.  Stamps, D., & Johnson, T. (2024) "Black Communities’ Relationship to Hip Hop Consumption, Self-Efficacy and Critical Consciousness"
  • https://www.webmd.com/depression/video/depression-dont-tell-you