Skip to main content
Myoung-Gi Chon

Myoung-Gi Chon

Associate Professor

Graduate Program Officer

Communication & Journalism

Myoung-Gi Chon

Contact Me

334-844-2721

mzc0113@auburn.edu

237 Tichenor Hall

Office Hours

Tuesday, Thursday 10–11:30 am

In the news

Artificial intelligence computer chip in a circuit board
AI@AU ethics committee members part of National Science Foundation research grant to integrate AI ethics into STEM education
Person sits at a desk answering emails by the light of a lamp in a dark room
The Conversation: Responding to work emails after hours contributes to burnout, hostility
Associate Professor Myoung-Gi Chon
Chon awarded research fellowship at USC Center on Public Diplomacy
Myoung-Gi Chon
Myoung-Gi Chon selected for summer 2023 Research & Scholarship Connections Travel Grant to Taiwan

Education

PhD, Media and Public Affairs, Louisiana State University

MA, Media and Communication, Korea University

BA, English (Major) and Media & Communication (Minor), Korea University

About Me

Myoung-Gi Chon, Ph.D., serves as an associate professor and the graduate program officer (GPO) in the School of Communication and Journalism at Auburn University. He holds the position of associated editor at Asian Journal of Public Relations (AJPR). Previously, he was a co-advisor for the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), and since 2019, he has been an advisor for the Korean Student Association (KSA) at Auburn University. Dr. Chon received a certificate in Data Science and Machine Learning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) IDSS in 2024.

Chon's primary research interests center around risk-crisis management, health communication, and science communication, particularly concerning infectious diseases and environmental issues. His research has evolved to explore communicative behaviors of the public, addressing social and political challenges in the digital age. Throughout his academic journey, Dr. Chon, along with co-authors, has contributed to the development of various measurements, including social media activism, issues-crisis principles (RAPIDS) and allegiant communication behavior (ACB). Recently, he has extended his research interests to include the application of public relations theories in public diplomacy. Moreover, as a committee member in Auburn University's AI@AU initiative, his ongoing research centers on applying AI in public relations education and addressing health-science communication issues. 

Before embarking on his academic career, he worked as a researcher at the Korea Research Center. Drawing from his professional experiences, he leads a research group called SoliU (www.soliu.org), consisting of students from various fields within Auburn University. The group's purpose is to identify and solve social problems using insights from social and computer science.

Research Interests

Risk-Crisis Management, Health-Science Communication, and Public Diplomacy

Publications

  • Chon, M., & Chung, A. (2024). Driving climate action via government public relations: The role of government-citizen relationships and situational perceptions. Journal of Public Relations Research, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/1062726X.2024.2354177
  • Chung, E., & Chon, M. (2024). Promoting the use of electric vehicles on social media: The effects of message framing, point of reference, and political affiliation on perceived information value and purchase intention. Communication Reports. 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/08934215.2024.2328515
  • Kim, J. Xu, L., Chon, M., & Liu, J. (2024). The effects of trust, distrust, and motivation on information behaviors: The cases of GM food and food additives in China. SAGE Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241248917
  • Chon, M., & Harrell. J. (2024). Building bridges for anti-racism activism: Testing situational theory of problem solving and problem chain recognition effect. Public Relations Review, 50(1), 102425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2024.102425
  • Tam, L., Chon, M., & Kim, J.-N. (2024). Country-of-Origin Relationship (CoOR): A Relational Approach to Understanding the Association between a Multinational Company in Crisis and its Country of Origin. International Journal of Strategic Communication https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118X.2024.2313644
  • Chang, B., & Chon, M. (2024). Moving beyond the sector: The spillover effects of an NPO’s crisis on the same and different sectors. Public Relations Review, 50(1), 102423. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2024.102423 
  • Chon, M. (2023). The role of social media in empowering activism: Testing the integrative model of activism to anti-Asian hate crimes. Asian Journal of Communication. Published Online First https://doi.org/10.1080/01292986.2023.2251131
  • Chon, M., & Taejun, Lee (2023). Fighting the spread of COVID-19 misinformation in social media: Predicting two types of misinformation-sharing behaviors via risk perception, social media literacy, fear, and organizational trust. Journal of Public Relations, 27(3). 269-297. https://www.earticle.net/Article/A435831
  • Kim, S. & Chon, M.* (2023). Teaching social media analytics in public relations classes: Focusing on Python program. Journal of Public Relations Education.9(1) 117-146. *Corresponding author https://journalofpreducation.com/2023/05/31/teaching-social-media-analytics-in-pr-classes-focusing-on-the-python-program/
  • Chon, M., & Kim, S. (2022). Combating COVID-19 Vaccine hesitancy: A synthetic public segmentation approach for predicting vaccine acceptance. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2022.282
  • Chon, M., Kim, J.-N., Xu, L., Kim, J., & Liu, J. (2022). From mind to mouth: Understanding active publics in China and their communicative behaviors on GM foods. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(1), 578. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010578
  • Kim, H., & Chon, M. (2022). When work and life boundaries are blurred: the effect of after-hours work communication through communication thechnology on employee outcomes. Journal of Communication Management 26(4) 386-400.  https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-06-2022-0073
  • Chon, M., Xu, L., Kim, J., & Liu, J. (2022). Understanding active communicators on the food safety issue: Conspiratorial thinking, organizational trust, and communicative actions of publics in China. American Behavioral Scientist. https://doi.org/10.1177/00027642221118284
  • Chon, M. (2022). Coping with mental health issues via communicative action in the digital age: Testing the cybercoping model with anxiety and depression Issues. Journal of Communication in Healthcare. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538068.2022.2050039
  • Kim, S. & Chon, M. (2022). Embodying temporality in fear appeal: How coping appraisal motivates preventive behaviors in a pandemic. Health Communication. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2069316
  • Kim, Y., & Chon, M. (2022). Exploring effects of message framing on supportive behaviors toward environmental corporate social responsibility. Corporate Communications: An International Journal https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-01-2022-0003
  • Chon, M., & Kim, S. (2022). Dealing with crisis of COVID-19 spread: Theoretical application of social media analytics in government crisis management. Public Relations Review 48(3) 102201 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2022.102201
  • Chon, M., Kim, J.-N., & Tam, L. (2022). From messaging to behavioral strategy:    Constructing a model of relationship- and action-focused crisis communication principles. International Journal of Communication 16(2022). 2103-2125. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/18185/3751
  • Chon, M., & Kim, S. (2022). Fostering compliance with COVID-19 guidelines: Insights for risk communication strategies during a pandemic. The Social Science Journal. 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/03623319.2022.2049555
  • Chon, M., & Kim, H. (2021). Misinformation and government crisis management in South Korea: Understanding active publics’ belief in misinformation of Yemeni refugee issues and its effect on active communication behaviors. Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication, 4(3), 545-578.
  • Andreu, L, Chon, M.*, Vibber, K., & Kim J.-N. (2021). Classifying foreign publics: Examining the relationships behavioral experience, symbolic environment and communication behaviors among key foreign publics. Politics & Policy, 49(6), 1308-1322. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12439  *Corresponding author
  • Xu, L, Liu, J., Kim, J., & Chon. M. (2021). Are Chinese netizens willing to speak out? The spiral of silence in public reactions to controversial food safety issues on social media. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(24), 13114. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413114
  • Chon, M., Kim, J.-N., & Kim, C. (2021). Conceptualizing allegiant communication behavior: A cross-national study of employee’ self-orchestration of voice and silence. Public Relations Review. 47(4). 102093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2021.102093
  • Chon M., & Kim, Y. (2021). Megaphoning effects of skepticism, cynicism, and situational motivation on an environmental CSR activity. Public Relations Review, 47(4). 102082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2021.102082
  • Chon. M., Tam, L., & Kim, J.-N. (2021). How conflict-prone organizations pay extra penalties during COVID-19: Exacerbating effects of employee problem-activeness on negative megaphoning and turnover intention. Journal of Communication Management., 25(3), 298-315. DOI: 10.1108/JCOM-10-2020-0114
  • Lee, Y., & Chon, M. (2021). “Don’t go, don’t buy”: Understanding the motivations of the anti- Japan boycott movement in South Korea during an international conflict. Negotiation and Conflict Management Research 15(1) . https://lps.library.cmu.edu/NCMR/article/id/458/
  • Chon, M. & Park, H. (2021). Predicting public support for government actions in a public health crisis: Testing fear, positive organization-public relationship, and behavioral intention in the framework of the situational theory of problem solving. Health Communication, 36(4), 476-486. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2019.1700439
  • Chon, M. & Park, H. (2020). Social media activism in the digital age: Testing an integrative model of activism on contentious issues. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. 97(1), 72-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699019835896
  • Lee, Y., & Chon, M. (2020). Transformational leadership and employee communication behaviors: The role of communal and exchange relationship norms. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 42(1), 61-82.  Online First. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-02-2020-0060
  • Chon, M. & Lee, H., & Kim, J.-N. (2020). Values of government public relations for a rocky road to participatory democracy: Testing public engagement, empowerment, and serenity hypotheses in public sector communication. Partecipazione e Conflitto [Participation and Conflict], 13(2) 2020: 1110-1131. https://doi.org/10.1285/i20356609v13i2p1110
  • Chon, M. (2019). Government public relations when trouble hits: exploring political dispositions, situational variables, and government–public relationships to predict communicative action of publics. Asian Journal of Communication, 29(5), 424-440. https://doi.org/10.1080/01292986.2019.1649438
  • Chon, M. & Fondren, E. (2019). Seeing a crisis through colored glasses: How partisan media leads to attribution of crisis responsibility and government trust. Journal of Public Affairs, 19(4), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1950
  • Jeong, J., Kim, Y., & Chon, M. (2018). Who is caring for the caregiver? The role of cybercoping for dementia caregivers. Health Communication, 33(1), 5-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2016.1242030
  • Chon, M., & Park, H. (2017). All does not fit all: Health audience segmentation and prediction of health behaviors in cancer prevention. Health Marketing Quarterly. 34, 202-216. https://doi.org/10.1080/07359683.2017.1346434

See the full list of publications by Myoung-Gi Chon

Courses Taught

  • PRCM 2400 Foundations of PR
  • PRCM 3090 PR in Political Processes
  • PRCM 3236 Strategic Communication
  • PRCM 3283 Social Media and PR
  • PRCM 4400 PR Research
  • COMM 7070 Crisis Communication
  • COMM 7020 Empirical Approaches to Communication Research