Michael K. Ault
Associate Professor of Communication
Master of Professional Communication Program Director
Weber State University
Suggested Citation:
Ault, M. K. (2025). The purpose and relevance of communication scholarship in times of uncertainty. Utah Journal of Communication, 3(1), 4-5. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15312219
The latest issue of the Utah Journal of Communication demonstrates the wide variety of issues Communication scholars are grappling with in our rapidly changing social environment. Unfortunately, there are those in private industry and public institutions at the state and federal levels who are threatened by rigorous academic inquiry and find it, at best, inconvenient, and at worst, dangerous to their economic and political agendas. The defunding of critical research grants, the firing of world-class researchers, and the mandatory elimination of entire academic programs throughout the country and in Utah, with the passage of H.B. 265, have thrown the world of higher education and scholarly research into turmoil. In this time of uncertainty, data aversion, and “alternative facts,” producing quality research is vital to the health of democracy. It combats the cacophony of misinformation and disinformation and provides evidence-based arguments for good-faith actors to debate the issues facing our communities, nation, and world. Communication experts are particularly qualified to identify practical and relevant phenomena that can elevate good-faith debate because the study of Communication is not merely academic, but is deeply practical. Importantly, simply producing high-quality research is not enough. The knowledge created through research must be disseminated so that other scholars, students, teachers, and the general public can access and learn from it. For this reason, outlets like the Utah Journal of Communication are essential to disseminating evidentiary knowledge.
The upheaval in higher education poses many risks, dangers, and divisions, but also provides opportunities for greater shared understanding, coordination, and growth. Communication scholars can do much to accomplish these positive outcomes. Communication has become the currency of the modern world for good and evil. Through communication, fortunes are made and lost, wars are started and ended, and relationships are built and destroyed. Because of the tremendous creative and destructive power of communication, the study of Communication as a systematic way of understanding a social world of information saturation, political polarization, artificial intelligence, and media fragmentation is more critical now than ever. From personal interactions to global diplomacy, the contributions of the Utah Journal of Communication articles shine a light on the dynamic and pivotal role Communication plays in our lives. Topics addressed in this issue, such as public health, education, technology development, organizational impression management, sports, and politics, touch the lives of nearly every person and carry significant implications for individuals’ health, wealth, and happiness. The Utah Journal of Communication is a platform for emerging and established researchers to explore such issues. This issue offers thoughtful, well-researched, and timely contributions that encourage us to pause and reflect on how we engage with others, tell our stories, and shape our world through words and symbols.
As you read the articles in this issue, I encourage you to consider the broader implications of their findings. How might they inform your teaching, research, professional practice, or everyday conversations? Communication is not a peripheral concern but the medium through which society is constructed and maintained.
I want to thank the authors, reviewers, and editorial team whose work made this issue possible. Their dedication to thoughtful scholarship and commitment to advancing our understanding of Communication give this journal its continued strength and relevance.
– Michael K. Ault