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eunjikim.bsky.social
Eunji Kim
@eunjikim.bsky.social
3.8K followers 990 following 86 posts
Media scholar | Assistant Professor of Political Science @Columbia | Author of The American Mirage (PUP 2025) | Host of Media Effects Empricial Workshop (MEEW)
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eunjikim.bsky.social
Eunji Kim @eunjikim.bsky.social · Apr 8
After years of doubt, drafts, and disbelief, my first—and likely last—book is finally out. It’s about how entertainment shapes American politics. If you preorder (a.co/d/ctGUWkZ), I’d love to send a small token of thanks: forms.gle/1YrkYX2t2nPC...
Reposted by Eunji Kim
cambup-polsci.cambridge.org
New to @apsa-preprints.bsky.social -

Unexpected Voices: How Cultural Agents Reshape Political Communication - https://cup.org/46YJjwt

- @eunjikim.bsky.social & Erin York

#preprint
Logo of APSA Preprints, underlined by the text "American Political Science Association" and "American Government and Politics" below.
October 10, 2025 at 12:30 AM
eunjikim.bsky.social
Grateful to Matt Baum, Jamie Druckman, @jonmladd.bsky.social @brendannyhan.bsky.social @dannagal.bsky.social for joining the Author Meets Critics session on The American Mirage tomorrow at 12:00. If you spot me at the conference, ask for my favorite book merch: a custom magnetic bottle opener!
September 12, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
epssnet.bsky.social
EPSA have announced that they will hold a conference in July 2026.

😵‍💫 We understand that there might be some confusion about EPSS and EPSA.

👉🏽 So we thought we would clarify some things.

A short 🧵
August 7, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
cullenhendrix.bsky.social
Cool book! Americans love reality competition TV. But does it shape political beliefs? @eunjikim.bsky.social says yes—and shows how it fuels faith in social mobility and individualism, despite declining economic opportunity. A subtle lesson in tournament wages: second place is first loser.
The American Mirage
How the entertainment narrative of upward mobility distorts the harsh economic realities in America
press.princeton.edu
July 3, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
chrishwiggins.bsky.social
Thanks, Don Green, for inviting me to share "Persuasion at Scale: ML, Causality & Information," a course retrospective @ Columbia's DSI.

@eunjikim.bsky.social & I covered the power & limits of causal inference & AI: from RCTs to LLMs

talk: bit.ly/PScaleTalk20...

class: lnkd.in/etbR2Dqc
June 29, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
newbooksnetwork.bsky.social
Check out our newsletter! On Bullsh*t 20th anniversary | Misbehaving at the Crossroads with Honorée Fanonne Jeffers | Channel Spotlight: LGBTQ+ Studies | Scholarly Sources: Eunji Kim

@princetonupress.bsky.social
@eunjikim.bsky.social
@blklibrarygirl.bsky.social

open.substack.com/pub/newbooks...
The Truth About Bullsh*t
How On Bullsh*t became a philosophical sensation
open.substack.com
June 26, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
princetonupress.bsky.social
Check out this episode of the @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social podcast and listen to @eunjikim.bsky.social discuss her new book The American Mirage: How Reality TV Upholds the Myth of Meritocracy: newbooksnetwork.com/the-american....
Eunji Kim, "The American Mirage: How Reality TV Upholds the Myth of Meritocracy" (Princeton UP, 2025) - New Books Network
Support H-Net | Buy Books Here | Join the NBN and NBN en Español on Patreon | Visit New Books Network en Español!
newbooksnetwork.com
June 26, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
princetonupress.bsky.social
Read this excerpt in @literaryhub.bsky.social of @eunjikim.bsky.social's new book The American Mirage, and learn how reality TV warps our perception of political and economic realities: lithub.com/how-reality-....
How Reality Television Warps Our Understanding of Political and Economic Realities
In the television industry, ratings are often the most valued currency. In political discourse, however, the sheer quantity of onlookers pales in significance. Instead, its composition holds sway. …
lithub.com
June 26, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
eollion.bsky.social
SICSS-Paris is on!
Today, over 40 scholars from all over Europe (and beyond) gathered at @crestumr.bsky.social for 2 weeks of courses and talks about digital methods and text analysis.
And in the evening, @eunjikim.bsky.social gave the first talk on influencers and political change.
June 23, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
crestsociology.bsky.social
Next week, CREST is hosting another edition of the Summer School in Computational Social Science (SICSS).

Check out the speakers and participants here: sicss.io/2025/paris/p... and some here:

@bartbonikowski.bsky.social @eunjikim.bsky.social
@austin-van-loon.bsky.social @dirkhovy.bsky.social
Screenshot of the SICSS Paris logo
June 19, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
debbiejsr.bsky.social
Now I’m reading about Eunji’s efforts at driving a truck and recruiting participants at county flea markets, including wearing a donkey Halloween mask. More of this in political science, please.
eunjikim.bsky.social Eunji Kim @eunjikim.bsky.social · Jun 6
Thank you Debbie! Since so many scholars wrote important books, I thought I would be better off writing a fun book (!) and I tried my best! :)
June 6, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
debbiejsr.bsky.social
I just finished the first chapter of “The American Mirage” by @eunjikim.bsky.social and it is one of the most engaging works I’ve read in a long time. Eager to read the rest. Thank you, Eunji!
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
The American Mirage
How the entertainment narrative of upward mobility distorts the harsh economic realities in America
press.princeton.edu
June 6, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
justinbaragona.bsky.social
Yes, that's right.

Today's reporter in the White House press briefing's "new media" seat is Jillian Michaels, the "Biggest Loser" trainer.
May 22, 2025 at 5:27 PM
eunjikim.bsky.social
So honored (and amazed!) that Andrew Gelman—my senior colleague in political science and statistics—read The American Mirage cover to cover and wrote such a thoughtful review on his blog. Grateful for his generosity and sharp eye.
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/05/22/e...
May 22, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
princetonupress.bsky.social
Didn't get tickets for @eunjikim.bsky.social's sold-out Lectures on Tap event, "The Entertained States of America,” tomorrow (5/22) at 6:30 pm EDT? Follow Lectures on Tap on Instagram & check out their story tomorrow morning for a chance to get last-minute tickets: www.instagram.com/lecturesonta...
Eunji Kim The American Mirage: How Reality TV Upholds the Myth of Meritocracy by Eunji Kim
May 21, 2025 at 1:35 PM
eunjikim.bsky.social
Getting photos like these over the past two weeks has been the most unexpectedly endearing part of publishing The American Mirage. Thank you for taking the time to snap a picture and share where the book landed in your lives. It’s heartening beyond words to feel the book out in the world 😍
May 16, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
thedailybeast.bsky.social
Kristi Noem has been working with the producer of “Duck Dynasty” to pitch a reality TV show—titled “The American”—where immigrants will compete in a string of challenges across the country “for the honor of fast-tracking their way to U.S. citizenship,” according to a new report.
Noem Plots Reality Show Where Migrants Fight for Citizenship
A Homeland Security official told the Daily Beast that the show is in the early stages of vetting, though approval has not been given—or denied.
www.thedailybeast.com
May 15, 2025 at 11:28 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
doeyjavis.bsky.social
But I haven’t even finished @eunjikim.bsky.social’s just released a reality tv and politics book and already we have new chapters
thedailybeast.bsky.social The Daily Beast @thedailybeast.bsky.social · May 15
Kristi Noem has been working with the producer of “Duck Dynasty” to pitch a reality TV show—titled “The American”—where immigrants will compete in a string of challenges across the country “for the honor of fast-tracking their way to U.S. citizenship,” according to a new report.
Noem Plots Reality Show Where Migrants Fight for Citizenship
A Homeland Security official told the Daily Beast that the show is in the early stages of vetting, though approval has not been given—or denied.
www.thedailybeast.com
May 16, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
dhopkins1776.bsky.social
Congratulations to @eunjikim.bsky.social on the publication of "The American Mirage"--really excited to have it and read it soon.
May 11, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
dannagal.bsky.social
Look what arrived @eunjikim.bsky.social !!! Summer reading fun!
🙌🙌❤️❤️❤️❤️
May 11, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
zeitzoff.bsky.social
Want to understand how we got a celebrity president and a cabinet filled with cable news jockeys?

I highly recommend: “The American Mirage: How Reality TV Upholds the Myth of Meritocracy” by @eunjikim.bsky.social

press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
Picture of the cover of American Mirage
May 9, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
literaryhub.bsky.social
@eunjikim.bsky.social explains why your parents might have been right about reality TV rotting your brain.
How Reality Television Warps Our Understanding of Political and Economic Realities
In the television industry, ratings are often the most valued currency. In political discourse, however, the sheer quantity of onlookers pales in significance. Instead, its composition holds sway. …
buff.ly
May 7, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
princetonupress.bsky.social
How the entertainment narrative of upward mobility distorts the harsh economic realities in America.

The American Mirage by @eunjikim.bsky.social is out now.

Learn more: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
The American Mirage: How Reality TV Upholds the Myth of Meritocracy by Eunji Kim
May 6, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
princetonupress.bsky.social
Tomorrow (April 30) at 6:15 pm EDT: ISERP at @columbiauniversity.bsky.social welcomes @eunjikim.bsky.social for a discussion of her forthcoming book, The American Mirage (out May 6 in North America/1 July in the UK).

Register today for this free event:
Celebrating Recent Work by Eunji Kim
Dr. Kim discusses her new book "The American Mirage: How Reality TV Upholds the Myth of Meritocracy."
www.eventbrite.com
April 29, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Reposted by Eunji Kim
caulfieldtim.bsky.social
Fascinating.

How competition shows influence US politics & shape views about economic inequality www.niemanlab.org/2025/04/the-... with @eunjikim.bsky.social

Reality TV watching = > belief in (the myth of) American Dream.

Yep, pop culture elevates the myths that fuel tolerance for inequality.
The unreality of reality TV: How competition shows influence U.S. politics and shape views about economic inequality
Columbia University's Eunji Kim: "The behavioral data tells us that most American life is not political — so why don't we study what people are actually consuming every day, however lowbrow it may see...
www.niemanlab.org
April 20, 2025 at 3:49 PM