Luis Hestres, PhD

Looking for opportunities in advocacy or research

Important life update: I’m no longer working for the US Department of Energy. I’m now looking for opportunities in the advocacy or research fields where I can make a positive difference. Please read the blurb below and contact me with any leads for opportunities.

I’m an academic and digital communication professional looking for opportunities to help local researchers or progressive nonprofit…

After my appearance on Texas Public Radio’s The Source to discuss net neutrality, I appeared in two more local San Antonio media outlets to discuss the issue. First, I appeared in the KENS 5 morning news on December 11 to talk about the implications of the FCC’s net neutrality vote for San Antonio consumers. Here’s the video:

Then on the day of the vote, December 14, I appeared on Univision’s…

Research talk: “Climate change activism: History, synthesis, analysis”

I recently gave a research talk at UTSA as part of the Department of Communication’s Research Colloquium. The talk was called “Climate change activism: History, synthesis, analysis” and was based on three publications I’ve put out this year: two articles for the Oxford Research Encyclopedia on Climate Change Communication — one about Internet-enabled activism, for which I was the lead author (with

Op-ed: How Texans (and all Americans) can help Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico needs massive assistance to cope with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

Yesterday I published an op-ed in the Austin American Statesman about how Texans (and really, all Americans) can help Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Here is the op-ed in full:

Just a few weeks after millions of Americans in Houston and surrounding areas suffered the onslaught of Hurricane…

New article on Internet-mediated activism at Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Climate Change Communiciation

350.org is a prominent Internet-enabled advocacy group

Today Dr. Jill Hopke of DePaul University and I published another article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Climate Change Communication, edited by Dr. Matthew Nisbet of Northeastern University. The article is titled Internet-Enabled Activism and Climate Change, and is available free online for a short period of time. The article is part…

New article on fossil fuel divestment at Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Climate Change Communciation

Earlier this year, Dr. Jill Hopke of DePaul University and I published an article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Climate Change Communication, edited by Dr. Matthew Nisbet of Northeastern University. The article is titled Fossil Fuel Divestment and Climate Change Communication, and is available free online for a period of time. Here’s the abstract:

Divestment is a socially responsible…

New publication: ‘Tools Beyond Control’

Social Media + Society

Here’s my latest peer-reviewed research article, called Tools Beyond Control: Social Media and the Work of Advocacy Organizations, which was published today by Social Media + Society. The article deals with privatized Internet governance and how it can affect the work of digital strategists at advocacy organizations. Here’s the abstract:

Advocacy organizations rely on…

What does Trump’s election mean for digital freedom of speech?

As the shock of Donald Trump’s election victory is giving way to analysis about how his presidency will affect Americans’ lives, our digital freedom of speech deserves special consideration. The ability to express ourselves freely is a fundamental right guaranteed to us all.

There are three major elements that determine how free we are in our online expression: The press must be free to publishan…