【Article by IMICS】

The College of Communication at National Chengchi University (NCCU) welcomed Professor Dmitri Williams from the University of Southern California (USC) for a two-day academic exchange on May 26 and 27, 2025. The lecture series, hosted by Distinguished Professor Tammy Jih-Hsuan Lin, Director of the International Master’s Program in International Communication Studies (IMICS), offered students and faculty a unique opportunity to engage with cutting-edge perspectives on digital media, data science, and social influence.

On the first day, Professor Williams delivered a lecture titled “Working with Industry Data,” where he addressed the practical challenges of conducting academic research with corporate data. He emphasized that while data access is crucial for empirical research, it cannot be obtained without trust and relationship-building. Successful collaboration between academia and industry requires emotional intelligence, credibility, and the ability to align research objectives with business goals—particularly revenue generation and customer retention. Drawing from his leadership experience in USC’s research labs, he illustrated how long-term partnerships are often built on mutual understanding and strategic alignment, rather than transactional agreements.

The second lecture, titled “The Importance of Other People: Findings from Games and Beyond,” introduced a methodological approach known as Social Value Network Analysis (SVNA). This framework examines how individuals’ decisions within digital networks—such as joining a game, making a purchase, or donating money—are influenced by their relationships with others. Unlike traditional bell-curve distributions, Williams explained that digital behavior often follows power-law patterns, where a small number of highly influential individuals shape the majority of network activity. SVNA aims to quantify these patterns and provide actionable insights into how social influence operates at both macro and micro levels.

Throughout both lectures, Professor Williams encouraged students to see data not just as numbers, but as narratives—stories that reflect human behavior, values, and systems of power. He also acknowledged the ethical complexities involved in working with private-sector data, including the challenges of transparency, privacy, and navigating non-disclosure agreements. These realities, he noted, require researchers to balance methodological rigor with professional responsibility.

Both sessions concluded with lively Q&A discussions, as students across degree levels engaged the speaker on research ethics, machine learning applications, and career development in communication and data science. His visit offered valuable insights for students and reflected NCCU’s ongoing efforts to connect academic learning with real-world impact.

1. Professor Williams displays tech/gaming companies that have partnered with him on research. His previous collaborations included Wargaming (World of Tanks), Thatgamecompany (Sky: Children of the Light), and fundraising platform Moore, which facilitates charitable donations through games. (Photo by IMICS)
2. According to the USC Professor, social mechanisms account for roughly 60% of player time in MMOs (Massively Multiplayer Online games). For instance, in World of Warcraft, team dynamics are shaped by players’ choices of character archetypes. (Photo by IMICS)
3. Professors Dmitri Williams (left) and Tammy Jih-Hsuan Lin (right) share a friendly gift exchange. (Photo by IMICS)