Faculty Profile for Jessica Lynn James

Biography Section

Biography and Education

Jessica is an associate professor of instruction in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University.

She is the faculty advisor for the Texas State Student Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the course coordinator for MC1313, Media Writing, the foundational writing course for all journalism and electronic media majors.

Jessica has also served as the co-grant coordinator for the Texas State University MIPPA Project, a federally funded research grant that investigated media habits of Medicare-eligible Texans.

Her master's thesis, “Mobile Dating in the Digital Age: Computer-Mediated Communication and Relationship Building on Tinder,” focused on the gamification of mobile dating and its impact on user behavior. Her research on the topic has been published and cited in "Wired," "Bustle" and other peer-reviewed articles and media, including the book, "Sex in the Digital Age."


Professionally, Jessica worked as a city reporter at the Morning Journal in Lorain, Ohio, before moving to Texas. She has written for several newspapers in Northern Ohio, including the Fostoria Review Times and the Sandusky Register. She currently freelances for the San Marcos Daily Record.

Jessica received her M.A. in mass communication from Texas State University and her B.S. in journalism from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Teaching Interests

Editing and News Writing

Research Interests

Mobile dating, online dating