Match tier Confirmed
Presence Current · Arkansas
Last published 2026
Sources OpenAlex · ORCID
Refreshed 2026-08-15

Marco Dehnert

Affiliation confirmed via AI analysis of OpenAlex, ORCID, and web sources.

Assistant Professor of Communication and Technology

University of Arkansas

Also affiliated: Arizona State University (2021–2024)

Faculty Researcher

8 h-index 30 pubs 257 cited

Research Areas

Biomedical Subjects

  • Sexual and Gender Minorities
  • Humans
  • Robotics
  • Emigrants and Immigrants
  • Anxiety
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Loneliness
  • Social Support
  • Gender Identity
  • Sexual Behavior
  • Social Interaction
  • Generative Artificial Intelligence
  • Adult
  • Female
  • Male

Links

ORCID Research Group

OverviewAI-generated summary

Marco Dehnert's research investigates the intersection of human-machine communication, human-AI interaction, and the societal consequences of communication technologies. His work employs multi-method social science approaches to explore these complex relationships.

Dehnert has published on topics including the persuasive potential of artificial intelligence, the social construction of asexual and aromantic individuals in relation to robotic or alien discourses, and the ethical implications of human-robot relationships concerning personhood and property. His research also examines the role of AI chatbots in providing virtual social support and their impact on managing loneliness and anxiety. He has also explored concepts of ableism and control within human-machine communication as depicted in media.

His scholarly output includes 30 publications with 236 citations, and he holds an h-index of 7. Dehnert leads a research group at the University of Arkansas and collaborates with several colleagues, including Rebecca B. Leach, Freddie J. Jennings, and Nicholas Purintun.

Metrics

  • h-index: 8
  • Publications: 30
  • Citations: 257

Selected Publications

  • The Communicative Construction of Care: Evidence for Subjectively Reciprocal Relations Between Humans and Machines (2026)
    The Journal of Sex Research 2 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • On-Demand Intimacy: The Sociotechnical Appeal of AI Companions (2026)
    Social Media + Society 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
  • Artificial intelligence chatbots as a source of virtual social support: Implications for loneliness and anxiety management (2025)
    Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 22 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • The Depolarizing Effect of AI Chatbots: Effects of Interactive News on Belief Perseverance and Information Seeking (2025)
    Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media DOI OpenAlex
  • What HMC Teaches Us About Authenticity (2024)
    Human-Machine Communication 3 citations DOI OpenAlex

View all publications on OpenAlex →

Collaboration Network

28 Collaborators 21 Institutions 9 Countries

Top Collaborators

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