Chao Yu

Assistant Professor

Phone:847-467-1715Office: Fisk B8B

Chao Yu is an Assistant Professor of Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University. His research primarily explores the social impacts of new media, with a particular focus on digital commercial platforms that gather consumer behaviors. He uses big data analytics to uncover underlying patterns in new media platforms that may contribute to biases or inequalities. His goal is to identify effective policies and strategies to mitigate these issues and promote equitable outcomes. His work has been published in high-impact journals, including Science Advances, New Media & Society, and the International Journal of Hospitality Management

Education

PhD in Communication, Cornell University
BA in Journalism, Peking University

Authored Works

Park, M.^*, Yu, C.^*, & Macy, M. (2023). Fighting bias with bias: How same-race endorsements reduce racial discrimination on Airbnb. Science Advances. [*co-first]

Yu, C., & Liao, W. (2023). Professionalism and homophily bias: A study of Airbnb stay choice and review positivity. International Journal of Hospitality Management.

Yu, C., & Margolin, D.B. (2022). Heightened scrutiny: The unequal impact of online hygiene scores on restaurant reviews. New Media & Society.

Yu, C., & Margolin, D.B. (2022). Sharing inequalities: Racial discrimination in review acquisition on Airbnb. New Media & Society.

Yu, C., Margolin, D. B., Fownes, J. R., Eiseman, D. L., Chatrchyan, A. M., & Allred, S. B. (2021). Tweeting about climate: Which politicians speak up and what do they speak up about?. Social Media + Society, 7(3).

Yu, C.^*, Liao, W.^*, & Margolin, D.B. (2021). The differential impacts of blinded online reviews: Comparing socio-emotional features of guest and host reviews on Airbnb, Telematics and Informatics. [*co-first]

Yu, C., & Margolin, D.B. (2021). The disproportion of crowd wisdom: The impact of status seeking on Yelp reviews. PLOS ONE, 16(6).

Yu, C., & Margolin, D.B. (2021). Food “taste” on Yelp: Displays of cultural omnivorousness and authenticity in dining choices and online reviews. Food, Culture & Society, 1–21.

Fownes, J. R., Yu, C., & Margolin, D.B. (2018). Twitter and climate change. Sociology Compass, 12(6).