Headshot of Hesham Mesbah

Professor of Communication

My work focuses on the comparative cognitive effects of news media and social media messaging, and how mass communication shapes social capital, public opinion, social openness, and perceptions of globalization. Through this research, I examine how traditional and emerging media influence the ways people process information, form attitudes, and respond to communication in a rapidly changing global environment.

Education

BA, Cairo University
MA, The American University in Cairo
PhD, Cairo University

Courses Taught

Undergraduate
Intercultural Communication (COM 240)
Global Journalism (rFLA 300)
Mass Media and Society (COM 313)
Writing for Public Relations (COM 351)
Middle East Media (COM 352)

Graduate
Strategic Messaging (SCOM 520)


Recent Publications

Ziani, A., M. Elareshi, H. Mesbah, and H. Alrashid. Navigating precarity: How social media influencers’ responses to the 2023 Libyan Hurricane Daniel. Accepted for publication in Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management.

Ziani, A., M. Elareshi, H. Mesbah, and S. Wahaishi (2024). Determinants of Arab journalists’ acceptance of applying virtual reality to news production. Communications. https://doi.org/10.1515/commun-2024-0065

Ahmed Mansoori, Khalaf Tahat, Dina Tahat, Mohammad Habes, Said A. Salloum, Hesham Mesbah, and Mokhtar Elareshi (2023). Gender as a moderating variable in online misinformation acceptance during COVID-19. Heliyon, 9(9). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19425

Mesbah, H. (2023). Digital platforms and transformations in new media: Research, industry initiatives, and challenges of training. Journal of Misr University for Humanities, 3, 1075-1085. https://mjoms.journals.ekb.eg/article_336915_a9f534a0c05a7088240a1a8beeef6b8e.pdf

Mesbah, H., and Y. Alfailakawi (2023). TAM constructs predicting the use of mainstream social media by college students in Kuwait. Journal of Innovative Communications, 18(1), 93-108. https://doi.org/10.1177/09732586221137144

Mesbah, H. (2022). Tweeted attitudes towards Kuwaiti women parliamentary candidates: A social dominance perspective. Journal of Social Digital Research, 4(1), 98-127. https://doi.org/10.33621/jdsr.v4i1.114

Mesbah, H., and D. Loew (2022). Public relations of key Middle Eastern countries in the US: Does democracy make a difference? In N. Hamdy and P. Auter, Handbook of Communication in the Modern Arab World. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.


News & Features

2025 Phi Beta Kappa induction class at Rollins College

March 31, 2025

Rollins Inducts 24 New Members of Phi Beta Kappa

A select group of Rollins students has joined the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa, placing them among the top 1 percent of college scholars in the U.S.

Rollins Inducts 24 New Members of Phi Beta Kappa
Photo of children and one adult drawing at Rollins Museum of Art

March 21, 2025

Rollins Museum of Art Collaborates with Hume House Child Development Center

David Matteson, an associate curator of education for Rollins Museum of Art, and Alice Davidson, executive director of Rollins Child Development Center and a professor of Psychology, were interviewed on Central Florida Public Media's Engage about the Symbolic Languages Exhibit. (at 39:01)

Rollins Museum of Art Collaborates with Hume House Child Development Center
photo of teacher reading to 5 children

October 11, 2024

Psychology Professor Provides Expertise on Children Developing a Love for Reading

Alice Davidson, a psychology professor and Director of the Hume House College Child Development and Student Research Center, provided expert commentary to Parents.com on teaching your child to develop a love for reading.

Psychology Professor Provides Expertise on Children Developing a Love for Reading
Headshot Alice Davidson, smiling.

December 13, 2023

Psychology Professor Shares Research on Gentle Parenting in New York Magazine

Alice Davidson, a professor of psychology, shared her research on "gentle parenting" with New York Magazine's -The Cut.

Psychology Professor Shares Research on Gentle Parenting in New York Magazine

May 11, 2022

A Professor of Psychology Addresses Social-Emotional Learning

Alice Davidson, a professor of psychology, discusses social-emotional learning and the Florida Department of Education’s review of math textbooks.

A Professor of Psychology Addresses Social-Emotional Learning
Orlando Sentinel Media Group logo

April 21, 2022

Psychology Professor Provides Commentary on Social Emotional Learning

Psychology professor Alice Davidson discusses Florida’s ban on math textbooks that promote social emotional learning.

Psychology Professor Provides Commentary on Social Emotional Learning