Riki Thompson, Ph.D.
Empowering people to find connection through digital communication & literacy
Riki Thompson, Ph.D.
Riki Thompson, Ph.D.
About
Dr. Riki Thompson
Researcher | Educator | Public Speaker | Illustrator | Associate Professor
As a researcher, educator, public speaker, and illustrator, I explore the realms of modern communication and relationships. I specialize in online communication, digital intimacies, online dating, mental health communication, user-experience research, gender, sexuality, and relationship styles.
With over 20 years of experience, I specialize in educating and enhancing communication and digital literacies as an Associate Professor of Writing Studies & Digital Rhetoric at University of Washington Tacoma. I am recognized for my excellence in teaching, integrating technology to enhance learning experiences, adapting research methods to modern digital communication challenges, and effectively translating academic research for public audiences.
My research has been featured in media outlets such as The Conversation, Salon, Vox, and podcasts likr Learning More and The GDI Podcast: Global Dating Insights. You can find some of my scholarly research in venues such as Visual Communication, Narrative Inquiry, The Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy, and The Routledge Handbook of English Language and Digital Humanities. I also serve as a SHESOURCE Expert for the Women’s Media Center.
Reach out to me for:
- Interviews
- Workshops
- Public speaking
- One-on-one consulting
Media
Riki Thompson on online dating and normative relationships. diggit magazine. March 6, 2024.
Perfecting Your Dating App Profile with Riki Thompson. Mistakes Were Made Podcast. January 14, 2024.
Should I ‘disappear and shock them all’? The new mantra in self-care is total isolation to emerge a better version of yourself. i-D. November 14, 2023.
Using Reflective Research Methods. SAGE Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research. 2023.
The messy interpersonal drama of TikTok’s doll roleplay community. Dazed. September 19, 2023.
Dalam hubungan poliamori, apa yang dimaksud dengan ‘polycule’? Berikut penjelasan ahli,. The Conversation. June 5, 2023.
An Academic Perspective on the Online Dating Industry. The GDI Podcast: Global Dating Insights. November 16, 2022.
Powerful women heading up dating apps are framed as young and sexy. The Conversation. October 17, 2022.
More than the Selfie: Research Methodology with Online Dating Apps. NVIVO Podcast: Between the Data. March 14, 2022.
¿Realmente empodera a las mujeres esperar que ellas den el primer paso?. The Conversation. March 7, 2022.
Does it really empower women to expect them to make the first move? The Conversation. January 26, 2022.
Social Media & Mental Health. Learning More Podcast. January 26, 2022.
Relationships, Polyamory, & the Pandemic. POWER Up 98.7 South Africa. October 5, 2021.
Pandemic Dating & Online Dating. Learning More Podcast. June 1, 2021.
A giant bed for three, finding lovers on Gumtree and foursomes: I love my polyamorous lifestyle. Irish Sun Times. April 9, 2021.
Polyamorous relationships under severe strain during the pandemic. Salon. February 21, 2021.
Polyamorous relationships under severe strain during the pandemic. The Conversation. February 11, 2021.
Love, delayed. Vox. November 6, 2020.
Exploring How Covid-19 Shifts Our Relationships. Keeping it Real Webinar. August 13, 2020.
Survival Dating. Paw’d Defiance Podcast. June 3, 2020.
He’s Just Not That Into Zoom: Dating In Boise During COVID-19. Boise State Public Radio News. May 14, 2020.
The cost of social media: Mental health is worth more than followers and likes. The Western Front. January 25, 2020.
Using Veedback in the Classroom.#innovativeprofs @TopHat. September, 2018.
Fostering divergent opinions and encouraging free speech on campus. Talk Radio KVI 570. November 22, 2017.
College campuses are vital for critical conversations. Seattle Times. November 10, 2017.
Along the Way: A Digital Travelogue. Story Center. 2017
Childhaven. Have You Met Olivia? 2014
Talks
Polyamory Online Dating Strategies, Evergreen Hearts Lecture Series, Seattle, Washington USA. March 5, 2024.
Online dating, gender, & power: Digital turn-taking and making the first move on Bumble, Approaches to Digital Discourse Analysis (ADDA 4), University of Klagenfurt, Austria. October 12-14, 2023.
Polyamorous Online Dating, Evergreen Hearts Lecture Series, Seattle, Washington USA. November 3, 2023.
July 9-14, 2023. Panel: Communicative practices in online dating, Gender & online dating: Matching, messaging & making the first move on Bumble, International Pragmatics Association (IPrA), Brussels, Belgium.
March 9-11, 2023. Gender, Sexuality, & Shifting Styles: Codifying Language Use in Style Guides. Lavender Linguistics Conference. Boise, Idaho USA. (with Meg Robertson, UC Boulder)
September 8-9, 2022. Shifting Attitudes, Shifting Styles: Codifying Gender Inclusive Language Use in Style Manuals. Attitudes towards gender-inclusive language. A multinational perspective. London, United Kingdom. (With Meg Robertson)
July 13-16, 2022. Digital Dating Beyond the Gender Binary. Sociolinguistics Symposium 24, University of Ghent, Belgium.
July 6-8, 2022 – Digital Dating, Discourse, Design, & Normativity. Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis Across Disciplines (CADAAD), University of Bergamo, Italy.
May 13-15, 2022. Reflective Approaches to Analyzing Digital Discourse. Approaches to Digital Discourse Analysis (ADDA 3), St. Petersburg, Florida USA.
April 6-9, 2022. Gender, Sexuality, & Shifting Styles: Knowledge Production and Codifying Language Use in Style Manuals. Society for Linguistic Anthropology (SLA). Boulder, Colorado USA. (With Meg Robertson)
March 3, 2022. Gender, power, and making the first move on the dating app Bumble. Invited Speaker: Language, Ideology and Power Research Group. Lancaster University, United Kingdom.
January 13, 2022. Growing pains: Expanding human connections in the new year. UW Work-Life and The Whole U Series, Seattle, Washington USA.
December 14, 2021. The politics of women making the first move on Bumble: Online dating, gender norms, and managing women through online talk. Grit City Think and Drink Series, Tacoma, Washington USA.
October 11, 2021. Gender & Sexual Normativity, (Dis)Empowerment, and the Digital Dating Paradigm
Scholarly Selections Series, Washington History Museum, Tacoma, Washington USA.
August 11, 2021. Dating in the digital age across the generations. Franke Tobey Jones Educational Series, Tacoma, Washington USA.
June 7-10, 2021. Dating in the Digital Age: Searching, Swiping, & Selling the Selfie. Sociolinguistics Symposium 23. University of Hong Kong, China.
January 27, 2021. Connecting digitally: Using social media to connect during the pandemic. Franke Tobey Jones Educational Series, Tacoma, Washington USA.
May 1, 2020. Researching the quest for love, lust, and connection during the time of COVID-19. SIAS Brown Bag Speaker Series, Tacoma, WA.
May 25, 2019. The Constructed Self of Online Dating. Washington State Library Series at the Washington Corrections Center for Women, Gig Harbor, Washington USA.
July 8, 2019. Making Mini Comics. =Family Strong – Steilly Con, Steilacoom School District, Washington USA.
December 7, 2018. Dating in the Digital Age: Swiping, Liking, and Selling the Selfie. Grit City Think and Drink Series, Tacoma, Washington USA.
July 4-6, 2018. From the medieval to the digital, and back again: Multimodality, innovation, and adaptation, CADAAD-Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis across Disciplines International Conference, Aalborg University, Denmark. (With Matthew Collins)
July 4-6, 2018. Telling the story of me & we: Online dating and identity construction for the non-monogamous, CADAAD-Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis across Disciplines International Conference, Aalborg University, Denmark.
March 28-31, 2018. Telling the story of me & we: Online dating and identity construction for the non-monogamous, PCA/ACA – Popular Culture Association · American Culture Association, Indianapolis, Indiana USA.
March 1, 2018. Drinks & Dialogue: Bridging the Divide. UW Impact: Common Ground Series, Seattle, Washington USA.
February 28, 2018. Championing Critical Conversations about College, Culture Goal: Lightening Talk, UW Tacoma, Washington USA.
April 13-16, 2017. Transformation of Interdisciplinary Teacher Educators: Collaborating to Develop Online Teacher Training for the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards, AERA – American Educational Research Association, Chicago, Illinois USA. (with Louie, B, Thompson, R., Rios, J., and Zhu, M.)
September 27-28, 2014. Looking for acceptance: Negotiating online community through selfie-bios,
Social Media & Society Conference, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada.
July 4-6, 2012. What not to wear: Governing women through fashion, CADAAD – Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis across Disciplines International Conference, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
May 10-12, 2010. Considering the digi: Questions the writing class faces in the Digital Age, Oregon Rhetoric & Composition Conference, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon USA.
March 25, 2009. Virtually thinking out loud in the electronic classroom: Metacognition and issues of audience, frequency, and medium for reflection, CCCC- Conference on College Composition & Communication, New Orleans, Louisiana USA. (With Katherine Anderson)
October 16-18, 2008. The good, the bad, & the ugly of writing in the web 2.0 world: Negotiating writing & technology in the digital age, Thomas R. Watson Conference- The New Work of Composing, University of Louisville, Kentucky USA.
May 23-26, 2008. Responding to the online journal interest form: Screwed up, but working on it, Rhetoric Society of America, Seattle, Washington USA.
March 29-31, 2008. (Re)Gendering depression as a problem for “Real Men”: Narrative & governing mental health through public service announcements, GURT – Georgetown Linguistics Department Conference on Narrative, Georgetown, Washington D.C. USA.
December 6-9, 2007. Picking up the thread: Answering the call to converse on mental health forums, NZDC – New Zealand International Discourse Conference, The University of Auckland, New Zealand.
2005 – Resisting traditional self-help: Discursive constructions of (un)wellness & healing online, Western States Rhetoric & Literacy Conference, October 10-12, San Francisco, California USA.
May 1-4, 2004. Personal names & transnationalism: Identity construction in the lives of Korean-Americans, AAAL – American Association for Applied Linguistics, Portland, Oregon USA.
October 24-26, 2002. Genre analysis in the “extracurriculum”: The healing journal as the site of genre evolution in discourse community, Western States Composition Conference, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington USA.
Services
Creating Connection through communication
I am available for public speaking events, workshops, and one-on-one consultations in person or virtually and am open to short-term contract work in qualitative research, UX/UI, and illustration.
I work with individuals, couples, and polycules to navigate the tricky world of online dating from picking platforms, perfecting profiles, managing messaging, and moving to meeting through online & in-person strategy sessions.
For businesses, working professionals, and community organizations, I offer lectures and workshops on language and digital communication, including topics such as inclusive language related to non-traditional relationship styles and nonmonogamy, as well as gender identities, sexual orientations, and pronouns. I customize courses and consulting sessions based on client needs and am available for both virtual and in-person engagements.
My goal is to provide comprehensive education and consulting services that foster understanding and effective communication in diverse digital and social contexts.
Schedule an Online Dating Strategy Session
- Platforms & Profiles
- Searching & Swiping
- Messaging 2 Meeting
- Online Dating & Nonmonogamy
Contact me for a free consultation
Fill out the form below with your preferred date and time of day. I will follow up to confirm my availability within that time window.
Research
exploring language, literacy, storytelling, social media, technology & transformation.
Robertson, M., & Thompson, R. (2024). Gender, Sexuality, And Shifting Styles: Knowledge Production and Codifying Language Use in Style Guides. Ex Aequo, Special Issue: Gender & Language: Perspectives and Challenges, 49.
Thompson, R. (2024). “Beyond the gender binary: Digital dating, discourse, design, & normativity” in S. Maci & M. McGlashan (eds). (Critical) Discourse Studies and the (new) normal: Analyzing discourse in times of crisis
Thompson, R. (2022). “Reflective Approaches to Analyzing Digital Discourse.” In Research Methods for Digital Discourse Analysis
Thompson, R. (2022). More than the selfie: online dating, non-monogamy, normativity, and linked profiles on OkCupid. Journal of Language and Sexuality
Thompson, R. (2021). Using Social Media as a Source of Data and Community Building. In Doing Qualitative Research in a Digital World
Thompson, R. (2020). English Language and Multimodal Narrative. In The Routledge Handbook of English Language and Digital Humanities
Thompson, R., & Collins, M. (2020). Disruptive practice: Multimodality, innovation and standardisation from the medieval to the digital text. In Message and medium: English Language Practices Across Old and New Media
Thompson, R. & McIlnay, M. (2019) Nobody Wants to Read Anymore! Using a Multimodal Approach to Make Literature Engaging. CLELE Journal
Thompson, R. & Furman, R., (2018) From Mass to Social Media: Governing Mental Health in the Digital Age. Sinchronia
Thompson, R. (2017). Writing through Comics. In Teaching Graphic Novels in the English Classroom: Pedagogical Possibilities of Multimodal Literacy Engagement
Thompson, R. (2012). Screwed up, but working on it: (Dis)ordering the self through e-stories. Narrative Inquiry
Thompson, R. (2012). Looking healthy: Visualizing disorder & wellness online. Visual Communication
Thompson, R., Furman, R., Enterline, M., & Sharfi, N. (2012). Poetry, masculinities & disability. Journal of Poetry Therapy
Furman, R., Enterline, M., Thompson, R., & Shukraft, A. (2012) Poetry matters: A case study for poetry in social work. Journal of Social Intervention: Theory & Practice
Thompson, R. & Lee, M. (2012) Talking with students through screencasting: Experimentations with video feedback to improve student learning. Journal of Interactive Technology & Pedagogy
Thompson, R. (2006). Bilingual, bicultural & binominal identities: Personal name investment, (bi)cultural identity negotiation & the imagination in the lives of first generation Korean-Americans. Journal of Language, Identity & Education
Thompson, R. (2004). Trauma & the rhetoric of recovery: A discourse analysis of virtual healing journals of child sexual abuse survivors. JAC: A Journal of Composition Theory- Special Issue, Part 2: Trauma & Rhetoric.
Blog
Hey there!
Welcome to my little digital writing corner, where I reflect on research, writing, and learning. You will find some half-baked ideas as I work through research, along with reflections that suggest years of revisiting, rethinking, and revising. Feel free to connect and engage through the comments. Thanks for visiting. I look forward to hearing from you!
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From the blog
About Me
Hi, I’m Riki–a word nerd, artist, and explorer who is passionate about how we find connection and belonging in the world through communication. I’m an Associate Professor at University of Washington Tacoma where I teach about research, writing, digital rhetoric, visual rhetoric, and writing through comics. I also consult about digital communication and online dating. Need help with your dating profile? When I’m not spending time buried in books and writing, I can be found hanging out in the kitchen, garden, or the mountains.
Let’s hang out
Contact
Get in touch
If you would like to inquire about having me speak at your event, have a question about my services, or just want to get in touch, send me a message.
I look forward to hearing from you!
