A trained digital sociologist with a background in linguistics, my research broadly encompasses online cultures and social media activist socialities. I am interested in the viral spread of information online, particularly political and social justice content, with a view to understanding the meaning of virality in contemporary culture. I am currently developing a non-fiction project on the history of the viral metaphor.
More information on my research, skills and ongoing projects can be found below.
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My MPhil thesis, Recontextualising Viral Justice: Social Media Virality, Feminist Connective Action and the 2021 Injection Spiking Incidents, developed a novel theory of viral online activism through a digital ethnography of 2021 reports of and campaigning around assaults in UK nightclubs. Adaptation of this work for journal publication is ongoing.
I also participated in the Liminal Texts conference organised by the Sociological Review (University of Cambridge, 2023), the culmination of which was published with Frances Street Press.
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I am skilled in critical digital investigation methods with a focus on social media discourse and analysis.
Whilst my thesis project evolved into a highly qualitative digital ethnography, I have a strong knowledge of digital tools for data collection and analysis, and have since undergone training in command line tools, OSINT and web scraping from Bellingcat and the Centre for Investigative Journalism.
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My Algorithm & Me is an independent research collaboration between academics and visual artists which explores the online lives of young people including the personification of recommendation algorithms and digital harm reduction.
We run in-person workshops, are building a digital crowdsourced database, and are producing a video essay/documentary (FRENEMY) based on our research.