Education & Academic Experience
· Jan. 2017 – May 2017: Visiting Student, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
· Jan. 2015 – Nov. 2018: Ph.D. in Communication, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
· Aug. 2012 – Dec. 2014: M.Phil. in Communication, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
· Sep. 2008 – Jun. 2012: B.A. in Communication, Fudan University, China
Research Interests
Intergroup relations and new media; Health communication; Persuasion
Courses Taught
· Communication Theory
· Creative Thinking and Academic Thinking
· User Experience Design Workshop
· Persuasion
Research Projects (as Principal Investigator)
1. 2021–present, National Social Science Fund of China (Youth Project): Mechanisms and interventions of disease stigma in the new media environment. Ongoing.
2. 2020–2024, Guangdong Provincial Philosophy and Social Science Planning Project (Youth): Developing pathways and intervention models to promote harmonious intergroup relations in Shenzhen in the new media era. Completed.
3. 2020–2022, Shenzhen University Young Faculty Research Start-up Project: Effects, advantages, and risks: Interactions between health and new media. Completed.
4. 2019, Shenzhen Municipal Collaborative Innovation Subproject: Media roles and media effects in the era of medicalization. Completed.
Selected Publications / Book Chapters
1. Ren, Y., Li, T., Feng, F., & Cao, B. (2025). Revisiting intergroup contact theory in short video platforms: A three-wave panel study. Media Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2025.2580282 (SSCI-Q1)
2. Ren, Y., Liang, Y., Xiong, J., Zhao, Z., Wu, X., Lan, L., & Liu, X. (2025). Information strategies to enhance screening intention among populations at risk for diabetes. In Y. Zhou & B. Cao (Eds.), Digital Health Communication: Research and Practice (pp. 173–197). Social Sciences Academic Press. (in Chinese)
3. Ren, Y., & Shen, F. (2022). Effects of narratives and behavioral involvement on adolescents’ attitudes toward Gaming Disorder. Health Communication, 37(6), 657–667. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1862397 (SSCI-Q1)
4. Ren, Y., Shen, F., Liang, Y., & Feng, F. (2021). When players become patients: Effects of media narratives on stigma toward video gaming disorder. Chinese Journal of Network Communication Studies, 20, 3–24. (in Chinese)
5. Huang, G., & Ren, Y. (2020). Linking technological functions of fitness mobile apps with continuance usage among Chinese users: Moderating role of exercise self-efficacy. Computers in Human Behavior, 103, 151–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.09.013 (SSCI-Q1)
6. Lai, X., & Ren, Y. (2020). A meta-analysis on the impacts of internet use on social capital in China. Journalism & Communication, 6, 21–38. (CSSCI; corresponding author, in Chinese)
7. Ren, Y., & An, X. (2018). Who is likely to benefit most from online cancer support communities: The role of personality traits. In T. M. Hale, W.-Y. S. Chou & S. R. Cotten (Eds.), eHealth (Studies in Media and Communications) (pp. 177–203). Emerald Group Publishing.
Contact
Room L7-911, Canghai Campus, Shenzhen University
3688 Nanhai Avenue, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, China
Postal Code: 518060
Email: renyuchen@szu.edu.cn
