Tyler Easterbrook

I am an incoming Assistant Professor of English and Director of Composition at the University of Idaho, starting in August 2023. Before that, I was an Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Composition at Methodist University. I’m also a faculty affiliate at UNC’s Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life, where I lead a working group on small-scale & interpretive methods for studying mis- and disinformation. I earned my PhD from UNC in 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 recently piloted a new course, Media and Mis/Disinformation, that trained students to analyze and address false, misleading, and manipulative digital content.