Joseph B. Walther is a professor in the Department of Communication and the Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media at Michigan State University. His research focuses on social and interpersonal dynamics of computer-mediated communication, in groups, personal relationships, organizational, and educational settings. He is noted for creating social information processing theory in 1992.
Walther has previously held appointments in Information Technology, Psychology, and Education and Social Policy at universities in the US and the United Kingdom and was chair of the Organizational Communication and Information Systems division of the Academy of Management, and the Communication and Technology division of the International Communication Association.