UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1154

Submission information
Submission Number: 1154
Submission ID: 20366
Submission UUID: 8c292690-6c25-47fc-a6ba-9f04771cf3d5

Created: Thu, 08/14/2025 - 10:56 PM
Completed: Thu, 08/14/2025 - 10:59 PM
Changed: Thu, 09/04/2025 - 01:14 PM

Remote IP address: 98.230.114.143
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No

Research Mentor Information

Minhyung Jo
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mj20bh@fsu.edu
Graduate Student
Dr. Don Latham
Don.Latham@cci.fsu.edu
Communication and Information
School of Information
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Additional Research Mentor(s)

Seul Lee
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Dr.
seul.lee@fsu.edu
Don Latham
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Dr.
Don.Latham@cci.fsu.edu

Overall Project Details

AI Memes and Political Bias
AI memes, memes, political bias
Yes
2
Open to all majors
On FSU Main Campus
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Partially Remote
10
Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
As AI has rapidly diffused across everyday applications, it is increasingly being used to generate memes. Compared to manual production, AI can create memes much faster and with less effort by drawing on vast online corpora; as a result, AI‑generated memes have grown in popularity. However, AI meme generation can also yield outcomes that users do not anticipate. This risk is especially salient for political memes: generators may produce content that conflicts with a user’s own ideological leanings, and persistent exposure to one‑sided or biased outputs could shape users’ political attitudes and values. Although algorithmic bias in AI has been widely discussed, it remains underexamined in the specific context of meme production. To address this gap, this study will repeatedly generate political memes using four AI meme generators and analyze whether—and in what ways—their outputs exhibit systematic political or ideological bias.

Research Objectives
1) Compare outputs across AI meme generators given the same political prompts: Do the resulting memes skew toward a particular ideological position, or do they reflect a plurality of perspectives?
2) Identify the content elements and formal features (e.g., themes, framings, templates, caption–image pairings) the generators use to express or cue political orientation.
1) Data collection: Collecting data from AI meme generators
2) Qualitative content analysis: Open coding and analyzing the outcomes
1) Having an interest in the research and scholarly publication process.
2) Reliable, timely communication and consistent attendance at scheduled meetings.
3) This project does not require specialized technical skills for data collection or analysis: Training on the open‑coding procedures will be provided in preliminary meetings using several examples.
My approach to mentoring is to build a collegial partnership that advances shared research goals while supporting each mentee’s growth and well‑being.

1) Mutual respect & shared accountability: I aim to move beyond a mentor–mentee dynamic to a collaborative relationship grounded in respect. Roles and expectations will be clearly defined, responsibilities will be upheld, and we will work toward common objectives as a team.
2) Psychologically safe research environment: I strive to create an open, welcoming space where mentees can voice ideas and concerns comfortably. I provide timely, constructive feedback; treat mistakes as opportunities for learning; and offer concrete strategies for preventing and addressing errors.
3) Culturally responsive support: I recognize and respect each mentee’s sociocultural background and tailor guidance to their goals and values. I support their professional development with resources, encouragement, and equitable standards that help them achieve their aims.
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Yes
12:00 - 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, September 2 (Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/my/minhyungjo?omn=91227092518)
12:00 - 12:30 p.m., Thursday, September 4 (Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/my/minhyungjo?omn=91227092518)
Recording of the Roundtable session (Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/rec/share/MIPA6yFw0bSdJ0FGP447p-SuwefVDkuScqzXiWm37mIxTij0IzPWeUpvUxAAV5_i.vBaG1kpQBapue0Ro)
  • Day: Tuesday, September 2
    Start Time: 12:00
    End Time: 12:30
    Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/my/minhyungjo?omn=91227092518
  • Day: Thursday, September 4
    Start Time: 12:00
    End Time: 12:30
    Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/my/minhyungjo?omn=91227092518
  • Day: Friday, September 5
    Start Time: 12:00
    End Time: 12:30
    Zoom Link: (Recording) https://fsu.zoom.us/rec/share/MIPA6yFw0bSdJ0FGP447p-SuwefVDkuScqzXiWm37mIxTij0IzPWeUpvUxAAV5_i.vBaG1kpQBapue0Ro

UROP Program Elements

Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
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2025
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