Betsy Brunner

Biography

Dr. Elizabeth “Betsy” Brunner is an academic and nonprofit professional, with experience working in the environment, energy, health, and art sectors. Her research, which incorporates qualitative, rhetorical, and ethnographic methods, focuses on the intersections of social media, activism, visual rhetoric, and the environment. She spent close to a decade traveling to China to conduct research on environmental activism as mass protests swept across the country, which led to the publication of her book, Environmental Activism, Social Media, and Protest in China: Becoming Activists Over Wild Public Networks. She also conducted extensive research on China’s national parks and rural tourism before turning her focus to environmental conflicts that occur in response to urban migration to rural areas in the U.S. She is the author of over twenty journal articles and book chapters, co-founded a podcast to promote media literacy, and organizes events to cultivate awareness about a variety of social and environmental issues.