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Dr. Meryl Alper is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies (College of Arts, Media, and Design) at Northeastern University. Dr. Alper also holds the positions of Affiliate Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (Bouvé College of Health Sciences) and Affiliate Associate Professor in the Department of Cultures, Societies & Global Studies’ Health, Humanities, and Society Program (College of Social Sciences and Humanities & Bouvé College of Health Sciences). At Northeastern, she researches the social, cultural, and health implications of communication technologies, with a focus on disability, digital media, and children and families’ technology use. Dr. Alper is the author of Digital Youth with Disabilities (MIT Press, 2014) and the award-winning Giving Voice: Mobile Communication, Disability, and Inequality (MIT Press, 2017). Her latest prized book, Kids Across the Spectrums: Growing Up Autistic in the Digital Age (MIT Press, 2023), explores the often-misunderstood technology practices of young people on the autism spectrum, as well as what it means to be “social” in a hypermediated society. In her research and teaching, Dr. Alper also draws on 20 years of professional experience in the children’s media industry as a researcher, strategist, and consultant with organizations such as Sesame Workshop, PBS KIDS, Nickelodeon, and Disney. Prior to joining the faculty at Northeastern, Dr. Alper earned a Ph.D. and M.A. from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. She also holds a B.S. in Communication Studies and History from Northwestern University, as well as a certificate in Early Childhood Education from UCLA.
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Dr. Meryl Alper is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies (College of Arts, Media, and Design) at Northeastern University. Dr. Alper also holds the positions of Affiliate Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (Bouvé College of Health Sciences) and Affiliate Associate Professor in the Department of Cultures, Societies & Global Studies’ Health, Humanities, and Society Program (College of Social Sciences and Humanities & Bouvé College of Health Sciences).
At Northeastern, she researches the social, cultural, and health implications of communication technologies, with a focus on disability, digital media, and children and families’ technology use. She is especially interested in the opportunities and challenges that media and technology provide young people with developmental disabilities and their families in the digital age. She integrates theoretical, empirical, and archival methods in this work and employs a historical, sociological, and critical/cultural perspective.
Alper is the author of Digital Youth with Disabilities (MIT Press, 2014) and Giving Voice: Mobile Communication, Disability, and Inequality (MIT Press, 2017). Giving Voice received an Honorable Mention in the Media and Cultural Studies category of the 2018 PROSE Awards, sponsored annually by the Association of American Publishers, as well as the 2018 Outstanding Publication in the Sociology of Disability Award from the Disability and Society section of the American Sociological Association. Her latest book, Kids Across the Spectrums: Growing Up Autistic in the Digital Age (MIT Press, 2023), explores the often-misunderstood media and technology practices of young people on the autism spectrum. Kids Across the Spectrums was honored with a 2024 Honorable Mention for the Best Book Award from the Communication, Information Technologies, and Media Sociology (CITAMS) Section of the American Sociological Association.
Alper’s research has been published in venues such as Mobile Media & Communication, Health Communication, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, New Media & Society, Journal of Children and Media, and International Journal of Communication, the latter three of which she is also on the Editorial Board. She has been awarded four Top Paper awards by the International Communication Association for her sole-authored work across multiple ICA divisions, and an association-wide Outstanding Article Award for a co-authored piece in the ICA flagship Journal of Communication. Her commentary, research, and popular writing have also been featured in a range of venues, including the New York Times, Boston Globe, The Guardian, The Atlantic, and Wired.
Alper is a Faculty Scholar with the Northeastern University Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research, as well as a former Faculty Fellow with the Northeastern Humanities Center and Dean’s Research Fellow with Northeastern’s College of Arts, Media, and Design. She is a past Faculty Associate with the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. Alper also previously served on the International Communication Association (ICA)’s association-wide Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (IDEA) Task Force and as Secretary of ICA’s Children, Adolescents, and Media Division.
Prior to joining the faculty at Northeastern, Alper earned her doctoral and master’s degrees from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and History from Northwestern University, as well as a certificate in Early Childhood Education from UCLA. Additionally, she has worked for two decades in the children’s media industry as a researcher, strategist, and consultant with groups such as Sesame Workshop, PBS KIDS, WGBH, Nickelodeon, and Disney.
Dr. Meryl Alper can be reached via email at m.alper@northeastern.edu, and on Twitter @merylalper.
Meryl Alper 