Anna Rantasila

I'm a University Lecturer in Communication Sciences at School of Engineering Science and the head of the Master's programme in Global Communication and Clean Air, Water and Energy. I am also member of the Disinformation, Propaganda and Soft Power Research Lab (https://www.lut.fi/en/research-groups/disinformation-propaganda-soft-po…) at LUT.

My teaching focuses on media and communication from the prespective of digital media, journalism, crisis and science communication, public engagement, and politics and power in communciation.

I've previously worked as a lecturer and postdoctoral researcher in Tampere University, and I defended my doctoral dissertation in December 2020.

My research interests include affect and emotions in digital media and journalism, crisis communication, and how these two themes are combined. I've also been interested in Japanese society and popular culture since my undergraduate studies.

List of Publications (as of September 2024)

A.    PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

A1 Journal articles
Karhu Mari, Rantasila Anna, Olsson Thomas & Häkkilä Jonna. (2024). Understanding animal-oriented social media collaboration in Australia’s 2019–20 bushfire crisis. Frontiers in Communication, 9(2024). https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2024.1440311

Ilves, M., Syrjämäki, A. H., Olsson, T., Kiskola, J., Isokoski, P., Rantasila, A., Bente, G. & Surakka, V. (2024). Emotion labelling strengthens readers’ emotional responses to online messages. Behaviour & Information Technology, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2024.2379552

Rantasila A, Väätäjä H, Kiskola J, Olsson T, Syrjämäki AH, Ilves M, Isokoski P and Surakka V (2023) Tunteiden, teknologian ja journalismin ristipaineessa: Verkkokommentoinnin moderointi suomalaisissa uutistoimituksissa (At the cross-section of emotions, technology and journalism: Moderation of online news comments in Finnish newsrooms) Media & viestintä 46(2), https://doi.org/10.23983/mv.131186

Kiskola, J, Olsson, T, Rantasila, A, Syrjämäki, A.H., Ilves, M, Isokoski, P & Surakka, V (2022) User-centred quality of UI interventions aiming to influence online news commenting behaviour, Behaviour & Information Technology, 42(12), 2060-2092, DOI: 10.1080/0144929X.2022.2108723

Syrjämäki, AH, Ilves, M, Kiskola, J, Rantasila, A, Isokoski, P, Olsson, T & Surakka,V. (2022) Facilitating Implicit Emotion Regulation in Online News Commenting—An Experimental Vignette Study, Interacting with Computers, 34(5), pp. 129–136, https://doi.org/10.1093/iwc/iwad010

Syrjämäki, AH, Ilves, M, Isokoski, P, Kiskola, J, Rantasila, A, Olsson, T, Bente, G, and Surakka, V (2022) Emotionally Toned Online Discussions Evoke Subjectively Experienced Emotional Responses. Journal of Media Psychology. DOI: 10.1027/1864-1105/a000341

Rantasila, A (2022) Managing unpleasant moods: Affective discipline in Facebook discussions. European Journal of Cultural Studies 25(1). 256-274. DOI:10.1177/1367549420973217

Rantasila, A, Sirola, A, Kekkonen, A, Valaskivi, K, and Kunelius, R (2018) #fukushima Five Years On: A Multimethod Analysis of Twitter on the Anniversary of the Nuclear Disaster. International Journal of Communication 12(2018), 928-949. Available at: https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/6475

Rantasila, A (2018) Tahmaiset affektit. Fukushima Daiichin ydinonnettomuus YLE:n uutisoinnin verkkokommenteissa. (Sticky affects. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Finnish Broadcasting Corporation’s online news comments) Lähikuva 31(3), 30-45. Available in Finnish at: https://journal.fi/lahikuva/article/view/76570

A3 Book chapters
Rantasila, A (2025, in review) Constructing Trust in Scientific Expertise through Acts of Affective  Discipline: A case study from Finland. In Roslyng, M.M., Jönsson, A.M. & Rantasila, A. (eds.) Communicating Science, Climate Change and the Environment in Hybrid Media: Constructed facts, contested truths. New York: Routledge

Rantasila, A (2024, in review) The Nordic Countries. In Pellitteri, M. & Hernandez-Perez, M. (eds.) Handbook of Anime and Manga in Europe. London: Palgrave. 26 pages.

Rantasila A, Kiskola J, Olsson T, Syrjämäki AH, Isokoski P, Ilves M and Surakka V (2022) Outlining approaches to improve online news commenting with computationally aided comment moderation. In Futures of Journalism: Technology driven reconfigurations in the journalism-audience relationship, edited by Manninen V, Niemi MK, and Ridge-Newman, A. London: Palgrave, 195-210.

A4 Articles in conference publications
Kiskola J, Olsson T, Syrjämäki AH, Rantasila A, Ilves M, Isokoski P and Surakka V. (2022) Online Survey on Novel Designs for Supporting Self-Reflection and Emotion Regulation in Online News Commenting. Academic Mindtrek 2022: 25th International Academic Mindtrek conference, November 2022, pp. 278–312 https://doi.org/10.1145/3569219.3569411

Rantasila A, Väätäjä H, Kiskola J, Olsson T, Syrjämäki AH, Ilves M, Isokoski P and Surakka V. (2021) Interdependence and Intervention: News Organizations’ Contradictory Relationship with Online Comments. Selected Papers in Internet Research 2021. Research from the Annual Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers. https://doi.org/10.5210/spir.v2021i0.12231

Kiskola J, Olsson T, Väätäjä H, Syrjämäki AH, Rantasila A, Isokoski P, Ilves M and Surakka V. (2021) Applying Critical Voice in Design of User Interfaces for Supporting Self-Reflection and Emotion Regulation in Online News Commenting. CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. May 2021 DOI: 10.1145/3411764.3445783. 13 pages.

Laaksonen, SM and Rantasila, A (2021) Rocketing sheep: Affective discipline in anonymous mobile social media Jodel during the Covid-19 pandemic. Selected Papers in Internet Research 2021. Research from the Annual Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers. https://doi.org/10.5210/spir.v2021i0.12198

Rantasila, A (2017) Nuclear Fear and Loathing – Commenting News About Fukushima Daiichi Disaster on Facebook. Selected Papers of Internet Research 2017. Research from the Annual Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers. Retrieved from https://spir.aoir.org/ojs/index.php/spir/article/view/10189

B.    NON-REFEREED SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES

B1. Articles in scientific journals
Rantasila, A (2022) Yhteiskunnallisen teorian ja monimenetelmällisyyden puolustus (A defense of social theory and multi-method research). Media & viestintä 45(1),
105–108 Available at: https://journal.fi/mediaviestinta/article/view/115668

Rantasila, A (2020) Affektiivinen kurinpito selittää, miksi nauramme vessapaperin hamstraajille. Lektio. (Affective discipline explains why we find toilet paper hoarders funny. Lektio praecursoria) Media & viestintä, 43(4), 426–429. Available at: https://journal.fi/mediaviestinta/article/view/100626  

Rantasila, A (2016) Monipuolisesti affektista osana internetin kulttuureja ja teknologiaa. (Multifaceted discussion on affect in internet cultures and technologies) Media & viestintä 39(4), 300–302. Available at: http://www.mediaviestinta.fi/arkisto/index.php/mv/article/view/1032/994

C. SEPARATE SCIENTIFIC BOOKS

C1. Books
Valaskivi, K., Rantasila, A., Tanaka, M., and Kunelius, R. (2019) Traces of Fukushima. Global Events, Networked Media and Circulating Emotions. London: Palgrave, in which as the main author in the following chapters:
Chapter 6: The Global Circulation of Affect – The Case of Iodide Tablets,
Chapter 7: Affective Entanglements of Expertise – The Finnish Case

C2. Books (editor)
Roslyng, M.M., Jönsson, A.M. & Rantasila, A. (eds.) (2025, in review) Communicating Science, Climate Change and the Environment in Hybrid Media: Constructed facts, contested truths. New York: Routledge

E. PUBLICATIONS INTENDED FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC

E1. Popularized articles
Rantasila, A. (2017) Å lese mellom linjene: Selvsensur og tilslørende pressefrihetslover i Japan. (Reading between the Lines: Self-censorship and legislation muffle press freedom in Japan). Vox Publica, January 2017. Available in Norvegian at: https://voxpublica.no/2017/01/aa-lese-mellom-linjene-selvsensur-og-tils…

G. DISSERTATIONS

G1 Bachelor’s thesis
Rantasila, A (2009) Tavallisen omituinen harrastus. Suomalaisten japanilaisen populaarikulttuurin harrastajien esiintyminen Helsingin Sanomissa vuosina 1999 – 2004. (Ordinarily odd hobbies. Finnish fans of Japanese popular culture in Helsingin Sanomat between 1999 and 2004) Bachelor’s Thesis at University of Tampere, Faculty of Social Sciences, department of Journalism and Mass Communication

G2 Master’s thesis
Rantasila, A (2013) Tarrautuvat tunteet. Japanin kolmoiskatastrofin affektiivinen kerronnallistaminen YLE:n tv-uutisissa. (Sticky Emotions. Affective narratives of Japan’s triple disaster in Finnish Broadcasting Corporation’s TV news) Master’s Thesis at University of Tampere, School of Communication, Media and Theatre, department of Journalism and Mass Communication. Available in Finnish at: https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:uta-201311281659

G5 Doctoral dissertation (article)
Rantasila, A (2020) Circulating Emotions, Sticky Feelings. Affective dynamics of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in a hybrid media environment. Doctoral Dissertation at Tampere University, Faculty of Information technology and Communication Sciences. Available at: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-1764-5