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.
Research/Publications Highlights
Alper, M., Rodgers, R., Rauchberg, J., Simpson, E., & Harrison, K. (in press). “actually an ED and not just a quirky aspect of autism”: TikTok as forum and mediator of autistic food issues and eating disorders. New Media & Society.
Alper, M., Rauchberg, J., Simpson, E., Guberman, J., & Feinberg, S. (2025). TikTok as algorithmically mediated biographical illumination: Autism, self-discovery, and platformed diagnosis on #autisktok. New Media & Society, 27(3), 1378–1396.
Schmuecker, S., Hourcade, J. P., Alper, M., Fails, J. A., Kawas, S., & Yarosh, S. (2024). Democratizing the ethics of emerging technologies for children. ACM Interactions, 31(5), 32–37.
Alper, M. (2023). Kids across the spectrums: Growing up autistic in the digital age. MIT Press.
Alper, M., Christiansen, E., Allen, A. A.., & Mello, S. (2023). Pediatric media guidance for parents of children on the autism spectrum: A thematic analysis. Health Communication, 38(8), 1572–1580.
Fox, J., Pearce, K. E., Massanari, A. L., Riles, J. M., Szulc, Ł., Ranjit, Y. S., Trevisan, F., Soriano, C. R. R., Vitak, J., Arora, P., Ahn, S. J., Alper, M., Gambino, A., Gonzalez, C., Lynch, T. L., Williamson, L. D., & Gonzales, A. L. (2021). Open science, closed doors? Countering marginalization through an agenda for ethical, inclusive research in communication. Journal of Communication, 71(5), 764–784.
Alper, M. (2021). Critical media access studies: Deconstructing power, visibility, and marginality in mediated space. International Journal of Communication, 15, 840–861.
Mello, S., Alper, M., & Allen, A. A. (2020). Physician mediation theory and pediatric media guidance in the digital age: A survey of autism medical and clinical professionals. Health Communication, 35(8), 955–965.
Whittaker, M., (with Alper, M., Bennett, C. L., Hendren, S., Kaziunas, L., Mills, M., Morris, M. R., Rankin, J., Rogers, E., Salas, M., & Myers West, S.)* (2019). Disability, bias, and AI. AI Now.
Alper, M. (2018). Inclusive sensory ethnography: Studying new media and neurodiversity in everyday life. New Media & Society, 20(10), 3560–3579.
Alper, M., & Goggin, G. (2017). Digital technology and rights in the lives of children with disabilities. New Media & Society, 19(5), 726–740.
Alper, M. (2017). Giving voice: Mobile communication, disability, and inequality. MIT Press.
Alper, M. (2014). Digital youth with disabilities. MIT Press.
Departments
Communication Studies
Education
- USC, Ph.D. Communication, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism (2015)
- USC, M.A. Communication, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism (2013)
- UCLA, Certificate in Early Childhood Education (2010)
- Northwestern University, B.S. Communication Studies and History (2005)
Awards
- CAMD Faculty Excellence in Research and Creative Activity Award (2025)
- American Library Association, Choice Outstanding Academic Title (2024)
- Honorable Mention, Best Book Award, Communication, Information Technologies, and Media Sociology (CITAMS) Section, American Sociological Association (2024)
- Outstanding Article Award, International Communication Association (2023)
- Top Faculty Paper Award, Children, Adolescents and Media Division, International Communication Association (2023)
- Outstanding Publication in the Sociology of Disability Award, Section on Disability and Society, American Sociological Association (2018)
- Honorable Mention, PROSE Award, Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division, Media and Cultural Studies Category, Association of American Publishers (2018)
- Top Faculty Paper Award, Philosophy, Theory and Critique Division, International Communication Association (2017)
