Research

I examine how digital media shape the ways people understand, discuss, and respond to contested public issues. Building on this broader interest, my research explores how platform use, social influence, and perceptions of media content affect people’s engagement with misinformation, political discussion, online incivility, and collective action. Through this work, I seek to understand both how problematic information and behavior emerge online and how individuals, communities, and institutions can respond to them constructively.

Goyanes, M., Oktavianus, J., & Jordá, B. (2026). Belief in instrumental extremism and social media incivility: The mediating role of political discussion with strong and weak ties, and cross-cutting discussion. Mass Communication and Society, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2026.2635740

Oktavianus, J., & Meng, X. (2024). From news websites to social media: Unpacking the influence of online channels on presumed influence and responses to misinformation. Technology in Society, 78, 102658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2024.102658

Masood, M., Meng, X., Oktavianus, J., Moskovljevic, M., Zhang, N., & Skoric, M. (2024). The influence of online political expression on disagreement and incivility: The moderating role of social identity. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 68(2), 198-217. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2024.2304182

Oktavianus, J., & Davidson, B. (2023). Countering terrorism on social media: An analysis of online anti-terrorism movement in Indonesia. Communication and the Public, 8(4), 308-323. https://doi.org/10.1177/20570473231189898

Oktavianus, J., Davidson, B., & Guan, L. (2023). Framing and counter-framing in online collective actions: The case of LGBT protests in a Muslim nation. Information, Communication and Society, 23(3), 479-495. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2021.1954232 

Hu, J., Oktavianus, J., & Zhu, J. (2024). Is communication a dependent or involuted discipline? A citation analysis of communication publications from 2010 to 2020. Journal of Communication, 74(1), 77-87. https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqad039

Guan, L., Shi, W., Li, Q., Oktavianus, J., & Wu, M. (2024). Have color representations in books changed over the past 200 years? An empirical analysis based on the Google Books Ngram corpus. Color Research & Application, 49(1), 65-78. https://doi.org/10.1002/col.22904

I study how individuals and communities seek, interpret, and communicate health information, particularly in situations marked by risk and uncertainty. Within this broader area, my research examines health misinformation and its correction, media representations of public-health issues, health-information practices, and communication surrounding illness, diagnosis, and treatment. Across these topics, I am especially interested in health equity and in how migration status, employment conditions, social position, and access to communication resources shape people’s ability to obtain information, make decisions, seek support, and access care.

Turnbull, M., Neupane Bastola, M., & Oktavianus, J. (2026). “I’m worried about telling my employer because I want to work”: Factors affecting MDWs’ communication work during cancer. Health Communication, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2026.2715126

Neupane Bastola, M., & Oktavianus, J., & Turnbull, M. (2026). ‘What would happen if I die in a foreign country?’: Cancer-related personal uncertainty and its implications for health equity among Indonesian migrant domestic workers. International Journal for Equity in Health, 25(128), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-026-02834-x

Turnbull, M., Neupane Bastola, M., & Oktavianus, J. (2025). Cancer as communication work: A qualitative study of Filipino migrant domestic workers with cancer in Hong Kong. Social Science & Medicine, 383, 118477. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118477

Oktavianus, J., & Bautista, J. R. (2023). Motivating healthcare professionals to correct online health misinformation: The roles of subjective norm, third-person perception, and channel differences. Computers in Human Behavior, 147, 107839. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107839

Oktavianus, J. & Dewi, H. L. C. (2023). When religion prevails: Examining religious and mainstream news coverage of measles-rubella vaccination in Indonesia. Public Health, 219, 39-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2023.03.021

Lu, F., Sun, Y., & Oktavianus, J. (2023). Resistance to masks during the COVID-19 pandemic: How user comments drive psychological reactance to health campaigns. Health Communication, 38(14), 3193-3206. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2141045

Sun, Y., Oktavianus, J., Wang, S., & Lu, F.  (2022). The role of influence of presumed influence and anticipated guilt in evoking social correction of COVID-19 misinformation. Health Communication, 37(11), 1368-1377. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1888452

Sun, Y., Chia, S. C., Lu, F., & Oktavianus, J. (2022). The battle is on: Factors that motivate people to combat anti-vaccine misinformation. Health Communication, 37(3), 327-336. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1838108

I investigate how migrants and other underserved communities use communication resources to navigate life in unequal social environments. Through community partnerships and participatory research, I also explore how communication interventions and emerging technologies can support empowerment and social change.

Oktavianus, J. (2026). From connection to stigmatization: The influence of storytelling networks on perceived stigma and quality of life among migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. Social Science & Medicine, 402, 119359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119359

Oktavianus, J. (2025). Words apart: Unravelling the language barrier plight of migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. Language and Intercultural Communication, 25(3), 349-364. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2025.2520971

Oktavianus, J., & Lin, W.-Y. (2023). Soliciting social support from migrant domestic workers’ connections to storytelling networks during a public health crisis. Health Communication, 38(6), 1179-1188. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1996675

Oktavianus, J. & Lin, W.-Y. (2022). Community storytelling networks and empowerment of migrant domestic workers: A communication infrastructure approach. International Journal of Communication, 16, 5162-5183. Retrieved from https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/19284/3938

Oktavianus, J., Sun, Y., & Lu, F. (2022). Understanding health information behaviors of migrant domestic workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 12549. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912549

Turnbull, M., Neupane Bastola, M., & Oktavianus, J. (2026). “I’m worried about telling my employer because I want to work”: Factors affecting MDWs’ communication work during cancer. Health Communication, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2026.2715126

Oktavianus, J. (2026). From connection to stigmatization: The influence of storytelling networks on perceived stigma and quality of life among migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. Social Science & Medicine, 402, 119359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119359

Goyanes, M., Oktavianus, J., & Jordá, B. (2026). Belief in instrumental extremism and social media incivility: The mediating role of political discussion with strong and weak ties, and cross-cutting discussion. Mass Communication and Society, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2026.2635740

Neupane Bastola, M., & Oktavianus, J., & Turnbull, M. (2026). ‘What would happen if I die in a foreign country?’: Cancer-related personal uncertainty and its implications for health equity among Indonesian migrant domestic workers. International Journal for Equity in Health, 25(128), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-026-02834-x

Turnbull, M., Neupane Bastola, M., & Oktavianus, J. (2025). Cancer as communication work: A qualitative study of Filipino migrant domestic workers with cancer in Hong Kong. Social Science & Medicine, 383, 118477. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118477

Oktavianus, J. (2025). Words apart: Unravelling the language barrier plight of migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. Language and Intercultural Communication,25(3), 349-364. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2025.2520971

Oktavianus, J., & Meng, X. (2024). From news websites to social media: Unpacking the influence of online channels on presumed influence and responses to misinformation. Technology in Society, 78, 102658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2024.102658

Masood, M., Meng, X., Oktavianus, J., Moskovljevic, M., Zhang, N., & Skoric, M. (2024). The influence of online political expression on disagreement and incivility: The moderating role of social identity. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 68(2), 198-217. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2024.2304182

Hu, J., Oktavianus, J., & Zhu, J. (2024). Is communication a dependent or involuted discipline? A citation analysis of communication publications from 2010 to 2020. Journal of Communication, 74(1), 77-87. https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqad039

Guan, L., Shi, W., Li, Q., Oktavianus, J., & Wu, M. (2024). Have color representations in books changed over the past 200 years? An empirical analysis based on the Google Books Ngram corpus. Color Research & Application, 49(1), 65-78. https://doi.org/10.1002/col.22904

Oktavianus, J., & Davidson, B. (2023). Countering terrorism on social media: An analysis of online anti-terrorism movement in Indonesia. Communication and the Public, 8(4), 308-323. https://doi.org/10.1177/20570473231189898

Oktavianus, J., Davidson, B., & Guan, L. (2023). Framing and counter-framing in online collective actions: The case of LGBT protests in a Muslim nation. Information, Communication and Society, 23(3), 479-495. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2021.1954232 

Oktavianus, J., & Bautista, J. R. (2023). Motivating healthcare professionals to correct online health misinformation: The roles of subjective norm, third-person perception, and channel differences. Computers in Human Behavior, 147, 107839. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107839

Oktavianus, J., & Lin, W.-Y. (2023). Soliciting social support from migrant domestic workers’ connections to storytelling networks during a public health crisis. Health Communication, 38(6), 1179-1188. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1996675

Oktavianus, J. & Dewi, H. L. C. (2023). When religion prevails: Examining religious and mainstream news coverage of measles-rubella vaccination in Indonesia. Public Health, 219, 39-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2023.03.021

Lu, F., Sun, Y., & Oktavianus, J. (2023). Resistance to masks during the COVID-19 pandemic: How user comments drive psychological reactance to health campaigns. Health Communication, 38(14), 3193-3206. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2141045

Oktavianus, J. & Lin, W.-Y. (2022). Community storytelling networks and empowerment of migrant domestic workers: A communication infrastructure approach. International Journal of Communication, 16, 5162-5183. Retrieved from https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/19284/3938

Oktavianus, J., Sun, Y., & Lu, F. (2022). Understanding health information behaviors of migrant domestic workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 12549. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912549

Sun, Y., Oktavianus, J., Wang, S., & Lu, F.  (2022). The role of influence of presumed influence and anticipated guilt in evoking social correction of COVID-19 misinformation. Health Communication, 37(11), 1368-1377. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1888452

Sun, Y., Chia, S. C., Lu, F., & Oktavianus, J. (2022). The battle is on: Factors that motivate people to combat anti-vaccine misinformation. Health Communication, 37(3), 327-336. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1838108

Oktavianus, J., Li, X., & Friginal, E. (2025, November). Learning while labouring: Motivations and barriers to English learning among Indonesian migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. Paper presented at the 2025 International Association for Languages and Intercultural Communication (IALIC) Conference, Auckland, New Zealand.

Oktavianus, J. (2025, June). The digital shoulder to lean on: Understanding the drivers and barriers of chatbot adoption for social support among migrant workers. Paper presented at the 23rd International and Interdisciplinary Conference on Communication, Medicine and Ethics, Poznan, Poland.

Oktavianus, J., & Occhipinti, S. (2025, June). Invisible labor, visible stigma: Storytelling networks and stigma narratives of migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. Paper presented at the 75th Annual International Communication Association Conference – Urban Communication Preconference, Denver, USA.

Oktavianus, J. (2024, December). Words apart: Unraveling the language barrier plight of migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. Paper presented at the 14th International and Interdisciplinary Conference on Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice (ALAPP), Hong Kong S.A.R.

Oktavianus, J., & Lin, T. T. C. (2024, July). Understanding inadvertent deepfake sharing: A study on socialization, self-presentation, and subjective norms. Paper presented at the 2024 Annual Conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), Christchurch, New Zealand.

Oktavianus, J. (2024, June). Beyond stereotypes: Understanding the media construction of stigma against migrant domestic workers. Paper presented at the 74th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Gold Coast, Australia.

Oktavianus, J., & Goyanes, M. (2024, June). Effect of social media news use and fake news detection on unintentional fake news sharing. Paper presented at the 74th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Gold Coast, Australia.

Oktavianus, J., & Dewi, H. L. C. (2024, May). Framing vaccine: A content analysis of religious and mainstream news coverage in Indonesia. Paper presented at the International Symposium on Language Sciences (ISLS), Hong Kong.

Oktavianus, J. (2023, October). Building networks of care: Communication actors and social support among migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. Paper presented at the 4^th International Conference on Communication and New Media Studies (COMNEWS 2023), Bali, Indonesia.

Lin, T. T. C., & Oktavianus, J. (2023, August). Alleviating Coronavirus disinformation: Examining influences of social media (dis)information efficacy, critical social media post, and health literacy on preventive measures and vaccination. Paper presented at the 106th Annual Conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), Washington, D. C., USA.

Oktavianus, J. (2023, July). Keeping a foot in both worlds: Motivations, barriers, and patterns of ethnic media consumption among migrant domestic workers. Paper presented at the 2023 Annual Conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), Lyon, France.

Oktavianus, J., & Bautista, J. R. (2023, July). The roles of third-person perception and subjective norms in motivating healthcare professionals to correct online health misinformation. Paper presented at the 2023 Annual Conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), Lyon, France.

Lin, T. T. C., & Oktavianus, J. (2023, July). Health misinformation, ideology polarization, and digital literacy in Taiwan. Paper presented at the 2023 Annual Conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), Lyon, France.

Oktavianus, J. (2023, May). Presumed influence of fake news on social networking sites and instant messengers: Uncovering paths from online platforms use to verification and correction. Paper presented at the 2023 ICA Preconference – Digital Asia, Toronto, Canada.

Hu, J., Oktavianus, J., & Zhu, J. (2023, May). Is communication a dependent or involuted discipline? A citation analysis of communication publications from 2010 to 2020. Paper presented at the 73^rd Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Toronto, Canada.

Davidson, B., Oktavianus, J., & Moskovljevic, M. (2023, May). Just flex, it’s the social media complex: TikTok videos as a propaganda tool for the U.S. military. Paper presented at the 73^rd Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Toronto, Canada.

Oktavianus, J., Davidson, B., & Guan, L. (2022, May). Debunking fake news together: Analyzing the practice of collective correction to combat misinformation. Paper presented at the 72^nd Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Paris, France.

Masood, M., Meng, X., Oktavianus, J., Moskovljevic, M., Zhang, N., & Skoric, M. (2022, May). Political expression, disagreement, and incivility on social media: The conditional role of social identity in the context of Hong Kong. Paper presented at the 2022 ICA Preconference – Digital Asia, Paris, France.

Oktavianus, J. (2021, August). Empowering migrant domestic workers during public health crises through integrated connectedness to storytelling networks. Paper presented at the 104^th Annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference (AEJMC), New Orleans, Louisiana, USA (virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Oktavianus, J. (2021, August). The role of integrated connectedness of community storytelling networks in empowering migrant domestic workers. Paper presented at the 104^th Annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference (AEJMC), New Orleans, Louisiana, USA (virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Oktavianus, J., Sun, Y., & Lu, F. (2021, August). The episodes of health crisis information response process among migrant domestic workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Paper presented at the 104^th Annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference (AEJMC), New Orleans, Louisiana, USA (virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Oktavianus, J., & Dewi, H. L. C. (2021, July). When religion prevails: Examining the religious and mainstream news coverage of Measles-Rubella vaccination in a Muslim nation. Paper presented at the 2021 Annual Conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), Nairobi, Kenya (virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Oktavianus, J., Davidson, B., & Guan, L. (2021, May). Silencing terrorists: An analysis of online counter-narrative campaign to fight terrorism in a Muslim nation. Paper presented at the 71^st Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Denver, Colorado, USA (virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Lu, F., Sun, Y., & Oktavianus, J. (2021, May). The face mask debate: How user comments and presumed influence drive psychological reactance to health campaigns and adverse health outcomes. Paper presented at the 71^st Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Denver, Colorado, USA (virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Oktavianus, J. (2020, August). Battling the invisible: Migrant domestic workers’ connections to storytelling networks during public health crises. Paper presented at the 103^rd Annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference, San Francisco, California, USA (virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Davidson, B., & Oktavianus, J. (2020, August). What to watch? Text-image relationship strategies and their use in framing the 2019 Hong Kong protests on YouTube. Paper presented at the 103^rd Annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference, San Francisco, California, USA (virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Lu, F., Oktavianus, J., & Sun, Y. (2020, August). The effects of patient-provider communication on cancer patients; depression and anxiety. Paper presented at the 103^rd Annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference, San Francisco, California, USA (virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Oktavianus, J., & Waruwu, B. (2020, May). Finding rest in the unrest: Migrant domestic workers’ smartphone use in a crisis experience. Paper presented at the 70^th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Gold Coast, Australia (virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Lin, W., Oktavianus, J., & Zhang, X. (2020, May). Feeling politics? How communication mediated the effects of emotions on political participation. Paper presented at the 70^th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Gold Coast, Australia (virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Lu, F., Oktavianus, J., & Sun, Y. (2020, May). “Selfie”-objectification: The role of selfies on teenage girls’ self-objectification. Paper presented at the 70^th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Gold Coast, Australia (virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Sun, Y., Chia, S. C., Lu, F., & Oktavianus, J. (2020, May). Correction and restriction of health misinformation: How presumed influence of misinformation on others and emotions affect people’s reactions to health misinformation. Paper presented at the 70^th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Gold Coast, Australia (virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Oktavianus, J. (2019, November). We are not afraid: An analysis of online collective action to cope with terrorism. Paper presented at Hong Kong – Taiwan Graduate Student Conference for Communication, Hsinchu, Taiwan R. O. C.

Oktavianus, J., Davidson, B., & Guan, L. (2019, July). Polarized social media collective action framing: The case of LGBTQ protests in a Muslim nation. Paper presented at the 2019 Annual Conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), Madrid, Spain. 

Oktavianus, J. (2019, May). #WeAreNotAfraid: Unveiling the messages and mobilizers of online collective actions to cope with terrorism in Indonesia. Paper presented at the 69^th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Washington, D. C., USA.

Oktavianus, J., & Lin, T. T. C. (2019, May). When terrorists attack: Examining Indonesians’ crisis response communication process and media use. Paper presented at the 69^th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference, Washington, D. C., USA.

Oktavianus, J., & Dewi, H. L. C. (2019, March). More than words: Examining presidential candidates’ self representation on Instagram. Paper presented at the Conference on Communication and New Media Studies 2019, Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia.

Oktavianus, J., & Lin, T. T. C. (2018, June). Dual screening and crisis communication: Exploring Indonesians’ motivations to use dual screening during a terrorist attack. Paper presented at the 2018 Annual Conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), Oregon, USA.

Oktavianus, J., Oviedo, H., Gonzales, W., Putri, A. P., & Lin, T. T. C. (2017, June). Why Taiwanese young adults don’t jump on the bandwagon of Pokémon Go? Exploring barriers of innovation resistance. Paper presented at the 14^th ITS Asia-Pacific Conference, Kyoto, Japan.