2026 Shelia R. Cotten: Social Sciences and Humanities Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards

Discipline name	D-Index	World Ranking	Current World Ranking	National Ranking	Current National Ranking	Publications	Citations
Social Sciences and Humanities	52	2395	2180	1164	1046	214	14714

Overview

Shelia R. Cotten is affiliated with Clemson University in the United States and specializes primarily in the social sciences with a significant focus on sociology and political science. Their research portfolio encompasses a range of interdisciplinary topics that revolve around technology use and its impacts on various population groups, particularly older adults.

The main fields of study that Cotten contributes to include social sciences, sociology and political science, demography, general health professions, automotive engineering, and marketing. These fields intersect with their research interests, spanning issues from digital technology to health outcomes and mobility innovations.

Key topics covered in Cotten's work are:

Technology Use by Older Adults
Impact of Technology on Adolescents
Transportation and Mobility Innovations
Digital Economy and Work Transformation
Sharing Economy and Platforms
Health disparities and outcomes
Retirement, Disability, and Employment

Cotten's publication record includes research in a variety of academic venues. The most frequent publication venues include:

Innovation in Aging
American Behavioral Scientist
Educational Gerontology
First Monday
JMIR mhealth and uhealth

Recent papers highlight Cotten's focus on digital inequality and social impacts of technology, particularly among older adults. Selected recent works include:

Social media use and well-being among older adults, 2021, Current Opinion in Psychology
A Double Burden of Exclusion? Digital and Social Exclusion of Older Adults in Times of COVID-19, 2020, The Journals of Gerontology Series B
Digital inequalities 2.0: Legacy inequalities in the information age, 2020, First Monday
Digital inequalities in time of pandemic: COVID-19 exposure risk profiles and new forms of vulnerability, 2020, First Monday
Digital inequalities 3.0: Emergent inequalities in the information age, 2020, First Monday

Cotten frequently collaborates with other researchers, with notable coauthors being:

Amy M. Schuster
Jenna A. Van Fossen
Elizabeth A. Mack
Chu-Hsiang Chang
Shubham Agrawal

Best Publications

Digital inequalities and why they matter

Laura Robinson;Shelia R. Cotten;Hiroshi Ono;Anabel Quan-Haase

1251
Citations
Characteristics of online and offline health information seekers and factors that discriminate between them

Shelia R Cotten;Sipi S Gupta

1180
Citations
No A 4 U: The relationship between multitasking and academic performance

Reynol Junco;Shelia R. Cotten

1098
Citations
Impact of internet use on loneliness and contact with others among older adults: cross-sectional analysis.

Shelia R Cotten;William A Anderson;Brandi M McCullough

787
Citations
Student–faculty Interactions: Dynamics and Determinants

Shelia R. Cotten;Bonnie Wilson

562
Citations
A Double Burden of Exclusion?Digital and Social Exclusion of Older Adults in Times of COVID-19.

Alexander Seifert;Shelia R Cotten;Bo Xie

528
Citations
The relationship between internet activities and depressive symptoms in a sample of college freshmen.

Charlie Morgan;Shelia R. Cotten

523
Citations
Internet Use and Depression Among Retired Older Adults in the United States: A Longitudinal Analysis

Shelia R. Cotten;George Ford;Sherry Ford;Timothy M. Hale

516
Citations
Perceived academic effects of instant messaging use

Reynol Junco;Shelia R. Cotten

510
Citations
Internet use and depression among older adults

Shelia R. Cotten;George Ford;Sherry Ford;Timothy M. Hale

400
Citations
Understanding online safety behaviors

Hsin-yi Sandy Tsai;Mengtian Jiang;Saleem Alhabash;Robert LaRose

334
Citations
Social Support and Playing Around: An Examination of How Older Adults Acquire Digital Literacy with Tablet Computers

Hsin Yi Sandy Tsai;Ruth Shillair;Shelia R. Cotten

315
Citations
Getting Grandma Online: Are Tablets the Answer for Increasing Digital Inclusion for Older Adults in the U.S.?

Hsin yi Sandy Tsai;Ruth Shillair;Shelia R. Cotten;Vicki Winstead

275
Citations
Rural-Urban Differences in General and Health-Related Internet Use

Timothy M. Hale;Shelia R. Cotten;Patricia Drentea;Melinda Goldner

230
Citations
The Use of Wearable Activity Trackers Among Older Adults: Focus Group Study of Tracker Perceptions, Motivators, and Barriers in the Maintenance Stage of Behavior Change

Anastasia Kononova;Lin Li;Kendra Kamp;Marie Bowen

219
Citations
Marital Status and Mental Health Revisited: Examining the Importance of Risk Factors and Resources

Shelia R. Cotten

208
Citations
Balancing the One-to-One Equation: Equity and Access in Three Laptop Programs.

Mark Warschauer;Binbin Zheng;Melissa Niiya;Shelia Cotten

188
Citations
Students' Technology Use and the Impacts on Well-Being.

Shelia R. Cotten

182
Citations
You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks A Qualitative Analysis of How Residents of Senior Living Communities May Use the Web to Overcome Spatial and Social Barriers

Vicki Winstead;William A. Anderson;Elizabeth A. Yost;Shelia R. Cotten

174
Citations
Digital inequalities 2.0: Legacy inequalities in the information age

Laura Robinson;Jeremy Schulz;Grant Blank;Massimo Ragnedda

157
Citations
Online safety begins with you and me

Ruth Shillair;Shelia R. Cotten;Hsin-Yi Sandy Tsai;Saleem Alhabash

149
Citations

Frequent Co-Authors

Robert LaRose Michigan State University

Wei Peng Michigan State University

Gustavo S. Mesch University of Haifa

Barry Wellman University of Toronto

Judith E. Arnetz Michigan State University

Mark Warschauer University of California, Irvine

William J. Chopik Michigan State University

Wendy A. Rogers University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

George Farkas University of California, Irvine

Lisa M. Sullivan Boston University

External Links

Personal website of Shelia R. Cotten

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