Tyler Easterbrook

I am a currently an Assistant Professor at Methodist University. Starting August 2023, I will be an Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Composition and Director of First-Year Writing at the University of Idaho. I’m also currently a faculty affiliate at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life, where I lead a working group on small-scale/interpretive methods for studying mis/disinformation. I received my PhD in 2021 from UNC and wrote my dissertation on social media-based conspiracy theories from 2016-2021.

A rhetorician by trade, I study persuasion in its endless complexities. My primary area of expertise is conspiracy rhetoric and other forms of digital misinformation. My research on the rhetorical work of link rot within conspiracy theories was recently published in M/C Journal, and I’m currently preparing another article for publication on the visual rhetorical strategies of conspiracy theorists. Beyond conspiracy rhetoric specifically, my work interrogates the broader relationship between rhetoric, American politics, and what cultural critic Jia Tolentino has described as the “social internet.” I often joke that I study everything I hate about the internet, and while cheeky, the quip largely holds true.

Outside of my research, I am an award-winning teacher of rhetoric and composition courses ranging from technical and business writing to first-year composition. My pedagogy emphasizes the development of flexible writing and research skills informed by the profound conceptual landscape of rhetorical thought. I am currently offering a new course, Media and Mis/Disinformation, that trains students to analyze and address false, misleading, and manipulative information circulating online.

Email: initial of my first name followed by my surname @methodist.edu
CV: Curriculum Vitae
Office: Trustees 273