Teaching Strengths
Mr Cameron McTernan
Lecturer
School of Communication, Media and Journalism
College of Creative Arts, Design and Humanities
Eligible to supervise Masters only (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.
I am a researcher and educator at Adelaide University specialising in social media, political communication and media industries. I am currently an:
Executive Committee member for the Australian and Aotearoa-New Zealand Communication Association
Researcher for The Global Media and Internet Concentration Project (Australian and Aotearoa-New Zealand teams)
Areas of interest and research include Media Diversity and Pluralism in Australia, Political Communication, Social Media and Streaming Services.
Teaching areas include Communication and Social Media. Current teaching profile for 2026 is:
MDIA 2021 Research Methods in Media and Communication
MDIA 2101 Creating Content for Media
MDIA 1017 Social Media Audiences and Algorithmic Cultures
Read my book: Social Media in Society (Palgrave Macmillan)
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2025-1029
Books
Hutchinson, J., Suwana, F. & McTernan, C. (2024). Social Media in Society, Palgrave Macmillan
Articles
McTernan, C., & Fitzgerald, S. (2025). Australia’s television streaming market and the battle over prominence. International Communication Gazette.
Flew, T., & McTernan, C. (2025). How do platforms matter? Media power, platform power and the digital domination of Australian media. International Communication Gazette.
McTernan, C. (2025). Australian news diversity on Facebook: An empirical study using engagement metrics and concentration analysis. Media International Australia.
McTernan, C. (2024). Politics of the Gut: Comparative content analysis of Australian political Facebook posts using authenticity and populist frameworks. Communication Research and Practice
Flew, T., & McTernan, C. (2022). Concentration, Diversity and Localism in Australian News Media Markets. Diversity and Localism in Australian News Media Markets. SSRN
Reports
Flew, T., Fitzgerald, S., McTernan, C. & Nicholls, R. (2024). “Media and Internet Concentration in Australia, 2019-2022.” Global Media and Internet Concentration Project.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 - 2025 | Lecturer | University of South Australia |
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Teaching Award | Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Digital Learning | University of South Australia | Australia | 1500 |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 - 2022 | University of Sydney | Australia | Master of Arts (Research) |
| 2011 - 2011 | University of South Australia | Australia | Bachelor of Arts (Honours) |
| 2008 - 2010 | University of South Australia | Australia | Bachelor of Arts |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | McTernan, C. (2025). Australian news diversity on Facebook: an empirical study using engagement metrics and concentration analysis. Media International Australia, online(1 Feature topic: AANZCA2024 Special Issue: ‘A moment to pause’), 1-17. |
| 2024 | McTernan, C. (2024). Politics of the gut: comparative content analysis of Australian political Facebook posts using authenticity and populist frameworks. Communication Research and Practice, 10(2), 165-180. Scopus3 WoS2 |
| - | Flew, T., & McTernan, C. (n.d.). Concentration, Diversity and Localism in Australian News Media Markets. SSRN Electronic Journal. |
| - | Flew, T., & McTernan, C. (2025). How do platforms matter? Media power, platform power and the digital domination of Australian media. INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION GAZETTE, 16 pages. |
| - | McTernan, C., & Fitzgerald, S. (2025). Australia's television streaming market and the battle over prominence. INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION GAZETTE, 18 pages. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Hutchinson, J., Suwana, F., & McTernan, C. (2024). Social Media in Society. Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. DOI Scopus3 |
- Learning from Operation Tonga Assist: humanitarianism and military diplomacy, Cwth Dept of Defence, 07/05/2025 - 06/07/2026
- Global Media and Internet Concentration Project, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, 15/09/2025 - 31/03/2027
- Enhancing e-Professionalism through digital innovation in nursing and midwifery preregistration education, Adelaide University, 01/01/2026 - 30/12/2027
Courses I teach
MDIA 2021 Research Methods in Media and Communication
MDIA 2101 Creating Content for Media
MDIA 1017 Social Media Audiences and Algorithmic Cultures
Programs I'm associated with
Bachelor of Media and Communication
Bachelor of Business
Bachelor of Creative Arts majoring in Digital Media and Web Design
Bachelor of Journalism majoring in Digital and Social Media Storytelling
Bachelor of Laws (Honours), Bachelor of Business
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Location | Program | Supervision Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Political News Avoidance For Young Australians | The University of South Australia | Bachelor of Arts (Honours) | Honours | Full Time | Robert Hicks |
| Date | Role | Board name | Institution name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 - 2025 | Member | UniSA Creative Academic Board | University of South Australia | Australia |
| Date | Role | Committee | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - 2025 | Representative | UniSA Creative Research Strategy Group | University of South Australia | Australia |
| 2025 - 2025 | Member | UniSA Early Career Researcher Network Committee | University of South Australia | Australia |
| 2022 - ongoing | Representative | Executive Committee | The Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Communication Association | Australia |
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 - ongoing | Member | International Association for Media and Communication Research | - |
| 2022 - ongoing | Member | Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Communication Association | - |
| Date | Event Name | Event Type | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - ongoing | 2025 Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Communication Association - Annual Conference | Conference | Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Communication Association | Australia |
| 2025 - ongoing | Australian Internet Governance Forum | - | Australian Internet Governance Forum | Australia |
| 2025 - ongoing | 2025 International Association for Media and Communication Research | Conference | International Association for Media and Communication Research | Singapore |
| 2024 - ongoing | 2024 Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Communication Association - Annual Conference | Conference | Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Communication Association | Australia |
| 2024 - ongoing | 2024 International Association for Media and Communication Research - Annual Conference | Conference | International Association for Media and Communication Research | New Zealand |
| 2024 - ongoing | 2024 International Communication Association - Annual Conference | Conference | International Communication Association | Australia |
| 2023 - ongoing | 2023 Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Communication Association - Annual Conference | Conference | Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Communication Association | New Zealand |
| 2023 - ongoing | 2023 International Communication Association - Annual Conference | Conference | International Communication Association | United States |
| 2022 - ongoing | 2022 Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Communication Association - Annual Conference | Conference | Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Communication Association | Australia |
Available For Media Comment.