Steven M. Edwards is an assistant professor in the department of advertising at Michigan State University. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin (advertising), and MA, and B.A. from California State University San Bernardino psychology and marketing). Dr. Edward's work explores persuasive communication in new media environments. He is currently examining forced–exposure situations online and consumer avoidance of advertising. Other areas of interest include human perception and cognition in 3–D virtual environments, specifically related to e–commerce applications. Recent journal articles have been published in the Journal of Advertising Research, the Journal of Advertising, the Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, and the Creativity Research Journal. His research has been supported by the Media Research Club of Chicago and the American Academy of Advertising.