Dr. Joanna Hesketh: Media Psychologist & Digital Ethics Strategist
Dr. Hesketh is a distinguished Media Psychologist and seasoned educator with nearly two decades of experience tracking the evolution of the digital landscape. Based on beautiful Vancouver Island, British Columbia, she blends a rigorous academic background—including a PhD in Media Psychology, an MBA with a concentration in Marketing, and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Liberal Studies—with practical insights from her extensive career as a Marketing and Technology instructor at Vancouver Island University (VIU). Driven by a profound passion for understanding media's influence, Dr. Hesketh's expertise lies at the intersection of technology, human behavior, and societal impact. Her doctoral research meticulously unpacked Product Placement, a billion-dollar industry often misunderstood despite its long history, focusing on how placements are processed and their impact on attitudes, consumer behavior, and social reality.
Today, Dr. Hesketh is at the forefront of critical conversations around digital behavior, data ethics, and digital literacy. She's particularly focused on the regulatory environment, identifying crucial gaps that can be detrimental to our social and cultural evolution. As data aggregation increasingly shapes our digital and physical lives, Dr. Hesketh champions a deeper understanding of the trade-offs between convenience and identity in our adoption of new technologies, including the rapid rise and ethical concerns surrounding emerging AI like LLMs.
As an active faculty member in VIU's Community-Based Applied Interdisciplinary Research (CBAIR), she co-leads student teams to address real-world problems for local organizations, consistently bridging expertise in behavior, technology, and society to ensure a balanced understanding of their social and ethical implications. Known for her energetic approach that piques curiosity, Dr. Hesketh excels at illuminating complex concepts surrounding media literacy and ethics, while also fostering excitement about the future possibilities of technology.
Dr. Hesketh offers unparalleled insight for organizations, policymakers, and communities seeking to navigate the ethical complexities of our digital world. She empowers clients to develop robust strategies, foster responsible digital practices, and craft forward-thinking policies that protect identity and promote positive social impact.