Nia Williams

Nia Williams is an M.A. student in the American Studies program at Yale University. Her research interests center on the impact of social media, broader media ecosystems, and algorithms on sociopolitical understandings in the contemporary United States, with a particular interest in their influence on teens and young adults.

Nia holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia, where she graduated with Highest Distinction in 2021. She earned an interdisciplinary degree focused on Arts Administration, African American Studies, and Music. Her undergraduate thesis, On Trial, examined the history of Blackness at the University of Virginia through a sonic album and multimedia project.

Nia’s professional experience spans the music, political, nonprofit, and media industries, including work with the GRAMMYs and in political lobbying. Drawing on these experiences, she is currently focused on understanding how emerging technologies and media systems shape the ways young people encounter information, form political and social understandings, and engage with one another.