Hello! I am Haohang Xin, or you can call me Otto. I am a first-year Ph.D. student in Media, Technology, and Society at the School of Communication, Northwestern University, advised by Professor Yingdan Lu.

I received my bachelor’s degrees in Journalism (Honors) and Data Science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where I was honored with the James L. Baughman Senior Achievement Award, the highest undergraduate recognition at School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

My research focuses on how digital platforms and algorithms shape public discourse, especially in the context of digital propaganda and polarizing debates. I am particularly interested in the structure of online echo chambers and the role large language models (LLMs) play in moderating or amplifying contentious content. My work has examined how propaganda circulates across social networks, how partisan cues become reinforced through visual and textual narratives, and how platform design influences user engagement and perception.

As an undergraduate research assistant at UW–Madison’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, I contributed to the Social Media and Democracy (SMAD) group led by Professor Dhavan Shah and the Cognitive Effects Research Group (KEG) led by Professor Douglas McLeod. My work involved everything from intricate data engineering to building machine learning models, aiming to untangle complex social dynamics through computational methods.

My recent projects explore the use of state-of-the-art computational methods, mostly multimodal analysis and generative AI, to study communication dynamics in digital spaces. I am particularly passionate about developing innovative tools and methods that make computational research more interpretable, transparent, and accessible. By tracing how information travels across multiple platforms and examining how visual and textual elements interact to shape public opinion, I hope to illuminate the interplay between technology, media, and democracy.

In my downtime (when I’m not debugging code or chasing elusive data points), you might find me listening to music with my cat Callie or cooking.