This page consolidates my publications, from books and journal articles to popular media
and other writing. For copies of paywalled papers please email. 

Google Scholar>>
Key Ideas & Concepts>>

BOOKS

[10] Abidin, Crystal, and Jin Lee. (Forthcoming, 2024). Provoking online drama: How attention economies are changing. Bloomsbury Publishing.

[9] Abidin, Crystal, and Jin Lee. (In progress). Social Media Pop Cultures in South Korea.

[8] Abidin, Crystal. (Contracted). Buymylife.com: Vernacular commerce, creation, and culture in Singapore blogshops. NIAS Press.

[7] Abidin, Crystal. (Contracted). Please Subscribe! Influencers, Social Media, and the Commodification of Everyday Life. MIT Press.

[6] Abidin, Crystal. (Forthcoming, 2024). TikTok and Youth Cultures. Emerald Publishing.

[5] Tiidenberg, Katrin, Natalie Ann Hendry, and Crystal Abidin. 2021. tumblr. Cambridge: Polity Press. <Link>

Launched in 2007, tumblr became a safe haven for LGBT youth, a launch pad for social justice movements, a NSFW rabbithole, and a counselling station for mental health issues. For a decade, this micro-blogging platform had more users than Twitter and Snapchat, but remained an obscure subculture for non-users and most researchers. In 2018 it catapulted to popular consciousness by banning all NSFW content, shifting to rigid censorship almost overnight. Tiidenberg, Hendry and Abidin offer the first overarching, holistic and systematic guide to tumblr and its crucial role in shaping digital culture. Drawing on nine years of in-depth, qualitative data, they reveal why tumblr is ‘special’ by examining how it has developed, where it belongs in the   social media ecosystem, and its prominent practices of creativity, curation and community making.

[4] Warfield, Katie, Crystal Abidin, and Carolina Cambre (eds). 2020. Mediated Interfaces: The Body on Social Media. London: Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN: 9781501356193 <Link>

Images of faces, bodies, selves and digital subjectivities abound on new media platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, and others-these images represent our new way of being online and of becoming socially mediated. Although researchers are examining digital embodiment, digital representations, and visual vernaculars as a mode of identity performance and management online, there exists no cohesive collection that compiles all these contemporary philosophies into one reader for use in graduate level classrooms or for scholars studying the field. The rationale for this book is to produce a scholarly fulcrum that pulls together scholars from disparate fields of inquiry in the humanities doing work on the common theme of the socially mediated body.

[3] Leaver, Tama, Tim Highfield, and Crystal Abidin. 2020. Instagram: Visual Social Media Cultures. Cambridge: Polity Press. ISBN: 9781509534388 / 9781509534395 / 9781509534401 <Link>

This is the first book-length examination of Instagram. Over the course of its seven chapters, we critically examine the platform and its policies, its content and aesthetics, its economies and ecologies, and various cultural practices and uses of Instagram. The book draws together ideas and findings from various datasets and perspectives, including ethnographic work with influencers, studies of birth, death, and identity creation, visual social media, politics and crises, Instagram research methods and ethics, and cultural practices and communities.

[2] Abidin, Crystal, and Megan Lindsay Brown (eds). 2018. Microcelebrity Around the Globe: Approaches to cultures of internet fame. Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing. ISBN: 9781787567504 / 9781787567528 <Link>

In the decade since microcelebrity studies was launched, the landscape of fame on the internet has expanded across digital estates, populations and intensities, labour and practices, products, commodifiable entities, and national spheres. The editors introduce a ten-year anniversary update to the field of microcelebrity studies by re-theorizing microcelebrity considering the under-represented diversity in specific ideo-geographical and socio-cultural domains. Collectively, the chapters rethink the concept of microcelebrity to accommodate developments in global internet governance, the evolution of platform politics, the emergence of hybrid forms of celebrity, and the collapsing networks between old and new media.

[1] Abidin, Crystal. 2018. Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online. Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing. ISBN: 9781787560796 <Link>

The face of internet celebrity is rapidly diversifying and evolving. Online and mainstream celebrity culture are now weaving together, such that breakout stars from one-hit viral videos are able to turn their transient fame into a full-time career. This book presents a framework for thinking about the different forms of internet celebrity that have emerged over the last decade, taking examples from the Global North and South, to consolidate key ideas about cultures of online fame. It discusses the overall landscape, developments and trends in the internet celebrity economy, and cross-cultural lessons.

REPORTS & WHITEPAPERS

[9] Abidin, Crystal, Darcy Morgan, and N. L. Hong-Phuc. (Forthcoming, 2024). Platformed Creator Discourse in English Markets. Influencer Ethnography Research Lab (IERLab), Faculty of Humanities, Curtin University. <Open Access>

[8] Abidin, Crystal, and N. L. Hong-Phuc. 2023. Benchmarking Influencer Regulations in the Asia Pacific Region. Influencer Ethnography Research Lab (IERLab), Faculty of Humanities, Curtin University. <Open Access>

[7] Abidin, Crystal, and Jia Guo. 2023. Platformed Creator Discourse in Chinese Markets. Influencer Ethnography Research Lab (IERLab), Faculty of Humanities, Curtin University. <Open Access>

[6] Abidin, Crystal, and Naomi Robinson. 2023. A Retrospect on Young People and COVID-19 Discourse on TikTok. TikTok Cultures Research Network (TCRN), Centre for Culture and Technology (CCAT), Curtin University. <Open Access>

[5] Vizcaíno-Verdú, Arantxa, and Crystal Abidin. 2023. TikTok Syllabus: Explorando la cultura pop y los movimientos sociales [TikTok Syllabus: Exploring pop culture and social movements]. TikTok Cultures Research Network (TCRN), Social Media Pop Cultures Programme, Centre for Culture and Technology (CCAT), Curtin University. <Open Access>

[4] Abidin, Crystal. 2022. Understanding the Portrayal of Humanitarian Issues and Interests on YouTube. Commissioned Report for the International Committee of the Red Cross. <Embargoed>

[3] Lim, Joel, and Crystal Abidin. 2022. The New Normal: How COVID-19 has Changed the Fundamentals of Influencer Marketing in Southeast Asia. Gushcloud International. <Open Access>

[2] Abidin, Crystal, and Jin Lee. 2022. Social Justice Through Social Media Pop Cultures: Case Studies And Reading Resources On Influencers And TikTok. TikTok Cultures Research Network (TCRN) & Social Media Pop Cultures Programme, Centre for Culture and Technology (CCAT), Curtin University. <Open Access>

[1] Abidin, Crystal, and D. Bondy Valdovinos Kaye. 2021. TikTok Syllabus: Teaching Socio-cultural Issues on TikTok. TikTok Cultures Research Network (TCRN), Social Media Pop Cultures Programme, Centre for Culture and Technology (CCAT), Curtin University. <Open Access>

EDITED JOURNAL ISSUES

[16] Lee, Jin, Crystal Abidin, and Tama Leaver. (In progress, publishing 2025). TikTok and Children. International Journal of Cultural Studies. 

[15] Abidin, Crystal, and Sijun Shen. (In progress, publishing 2024). The Future of Wanghong. Global Media and China.

[14] Abidin, Crystal, Kath Albury, Natalie Hendry, and Gabriele de Seta. (In progress, publishing 2024). “Groundhog Day: The cyclical nature of academic spotlights and hot topics.” International Journal of Communication. 

[13] Abidin, Crystal, and Jin Lee. (In progress, publishing 2024). TikTok Methodologies. Television & New Media. 

[12] Abidin, Crystal, and Natalie Pang. (In progress, publishing 2024). Internet Popular Culture and (Everyday) Politics: Methodological & Ethical Critiques from Southeast Asia. Journal of Sociotechnical Critique.

[11] Gurrieri, Lauren, Jenna Drenten, and Crystal Abidin. 2023. Influencer Marketing: Interdisciplinary and Socio-Cultural Perspectives. Journal of Marketing Management 39(11–12). <Paywalled>

[10] Lee, Jin, and Crystal Abidin. 2023. TikTok and Social Movements. Social Media + Society 9(1). <Open Access>

[9] Abidin, Crystal, Jin Lee, and D. Bondy Valdovinos Kaye. 2023. Cultures of TikTok in the Asia Pacific. Media International Australia 186(1). <Paywalled>

[8] Abidin, Crystal, Jian Xu, and Jonathon Hutchinson. 2022. Influencer Regulations, Governance, and Socio-cultural Issues in Asia. Policy & Internet 14(3). <Open Access>

[7] Zeng, Jing, Crystal Abidin, and Mike S. Schäfer. 2021. Research Perspectives on TikTok and Its Legacy Apps: Introduction. International Journal of Communication 15(2021). <Open Access>

[6] Abidin, Crystal, and Gabriele de Seta. 2020. Private messages from the field: Confessions on digital ethnography and its discomforts. Journal of Digital Social Research 2(1). <Open Access>

[5] Abidin, Crystal, and Joel Gn. 2018. Histories and Cultures of Emoji Vernacular. First Monday 23(9). <Open Access>

[4] Warfield, Katie, Maria-Carolina Cambre, and Crystal Abidin. 2016. Me-diated Inter-faces. Social Media + Society 2(2). <Open Access>

[3] Abidin, Crystal. 2013. Special Edition: Humanising Collaboration. Limina 18(2). <Open Access>

[2] Abidin, Crystal, et al. (Editorial Collective). 2013. Exclusivity: Boundaries of Difference. Limina 19(1). <Open Access>

[1] Abidin, Crystal, et al. (Editorial Collective). 2012. Volume 18.1.  Limina 18(1). <Open Access>

JOURNAL ARTICLES

[52] Lee, Jin, and Crystal Abidin. (Forthcoming, 2024). “Fantasized and fantastical ‘Nordic imaginaries’: Contextualizing Nordic life vlogs by East Asian YouTube vloggers.” Nordic Journal of Media Studies.

[51] Abidin, Crystal, and Natalie Pang. (Forthcoming, 2024). “Studying Private Messaging Groups: Misinformation in WhatsApp Family Groupchats, and Research Regimes in Singapore(ans).” Journal of Sociotechnical Critique.

[51] Abidin, Crystal, and Natalie Pang. (Forthcoming, 2024). “Internet Popular Culture and (Everyday) Politics: Methodological & Ethical Critiques from Southeast Asia.” Journal of Sociotechnical Critique. 

[49] Gurrieri, Lauren, Jenna Drenten, and Crystal Abidin. 2023. “Symbiosis or parasitism? A framework for advancing interdisciplinary and socio-cultural perspectives in influencer marketing.” Journal of Marketing Management 39(11–12): 911–932. DOI: 10.1080/0267257X.2023.2255053 <Paywalled | pdf>

[48] Abidin, Crystal, and Jin Lee. 2023. “K-pop TikTok: TikTok’s expansion into South Korea, TikTok Stage, and Platformed glocalization.” Media International Australia 188(1): 86–111. DOI: 10.1177/1329878X231186445 <Open Access | pdf> 

[47] van der Nagel, Emily, Jonathon Hutchinson, Crystal Abidin, and D. Bondy Valdovinos Kaye. 2023. “Black Summer on TikTok and ABC News.” Convergence 29(4): 962–979. DOI: 10.1177/13548565231178005. <Open Access>

[46] Abidin, Crystal, Jian Xu, and Jonathon Hutchinson. 2023. “Influencer regulations, governance and sociocultural issues in Asia.” Policy & Internet 14(3): tba. DOI: 10.1002/poi3.340. <Open Access>

[45] Lee, Jin, and Crystal Abidin. 2023. “Introduction to the Special Issue of TikTok and Social Movements.” Social Media + Society 9(1): 1–8. DOI: 10.1177/20563051231157452. <Open Access>

[44] Zhao, Xinyu, and Crystal Abidin. 2023. “The ‘Fox Eye’ challenge trend: Anti-racism work, platform affordances, and the vernacular of gesticular activism on TikTok.” Social Media + Society 9(1): 1–16. DOI: 10.1177/20563051231157590. <Open Access>

[43] Vizcaíno-Verdú, Arantxa, and Crystal Abidin. 2023. “TeachTok: Teachers of TikTok, micro-celebritism, and fun learning communities.” Teaching and Teacher Education 123: 1–17. DOI: 10.1016/j.tate.2022.103978. <Paywalled | pdf>

[42] Sligh, Casta, and Crystal Abidin. 2022. “When Brands Become Stans: Netflix, Originals, and enacting a fannish persona on Instagram.” Television and New Media 24(6): 616–638. DOI: 10.1177/1527476422113477 <Paywalled | pdf | Video abstract>

[41] Abidin, Crystal, Jin Lee, and D. Bondy Valdovinos Kaye. 2022. “Introduction to the Media International Australia special issue on ‘TikTok cultures in the Asia Pacific'” Media International Australia 186(1): 3-10. DOI: 10.1177/1329878X221130126 <Paywalled | pdf>

[40] Lee, Jin, and Crystal Abidin. 2022. “Oegugin Influencers and pop nationalism through government campaigns: Regulating foreign-nationals in the South Korean YouTube ecology.” Policy & Internet 14(3): 541–557. DOI: 10.1002/poi3.319 <Open Access>

[39] Radics, George, and Crystal Abidin. 2022. “Racial Harmony and Sexual Violence: Uneven Regulation and Legal Protection Gaps for Influencers in Singapore.” Policy & Internet 14(3): 597–617. DOI: 10.1002/poi3.320 <Paywalled | pdf>

[38] Abidin, Crystal. 2022. “Grief hypejacking: Influencers, #ThoughtsAndPrayers, and the Commodification of Grief on Instagram.” The Information Society 38(3): 174-187. DOI: 10.1080/01972243.2022.2071212 <Paywalled | pdf>

[37] Vizcaíno-Verdú, Arantxa, and Crystal Abidin. 2022. “Music challenge memes on TikTok: Understanding in-group storytelling videos.” International Journal of Communication 16(2022): 883-908. <Open Access>

[36] Ruiz-Gomez, Alexandra, Tama Leaver, and Crystal Abidin. 2021. “Playing YouTube: How the Nancy YouTuber doll and app position children as aspiring YouTube influencers.” International Journal of Cultural Studies 25(2): 121-140. DOI: 10.1177/13678779211063222 <Paywalled | pdf>

[35] Abidin, Crystal. 2021. “Mapeando celebridades da Internet no TikTok: Explorando Economias da Atenção e Trabalhos de Visibilidade [Mapping Internet Celebrity on TikTok: Exploring Attention Economies and Visibility Labours].” Pauta Geral. DOI: 10.5212/19881 <Link> Translator: Rafaela Tabasnik.

[34] Lee, Jin, and Crystal Abidin. 2021. “Backdoor Advertising Scandals, Yingyeo Culture, and Cancel Culture Among YouTube Influencers in South Korea.” New Media & Society 26(1): 405–425. DOI: 10.1177/14614448211061829 <Paywalled | pdf>

[33] Abidin, Crystal. 2021. “Singaporean Influencers and COVID-19 on Instagram Stories.” Celebrity Studies 12(4): 693-698. DOI: 10.1080/19392397.2021.1967604 <Paywalled | pdf>

[32] Zeng, Jing, and Crystal Abidin. 2021. “#OkBoomer, time to meet the Zoomers’: Studying the Memefication of Intergenerational Politics on TikTok.” Information, Communication and Society 24(16): 2459-2481. DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2021.1961007 <Paywalled | pdf>

[31] Zeng, Jing, Crystal Abidin, and Mike S. Schäfer. 2021. “Research Perspectives on TikTok and Its Legacy Apps: Introduction.” International Journal of Communication 15(2021): 3161-3172. <Open Access>

[30] Abidin, Crystal, and Jing Zeng. 2021. “Subtle Asian Traits and COVID-19: Congregating and Commiserating as East Asians in a Facebook Group.” First Monday 26(6). DOI: 10.5210/fm.v26i7.10859 <Open Access>

[29] Abidin, Crystal. 2021. “From ‘networked publics’ to ‘refracted publics’: A companion framework for researching ‘below the radar’ studies.” Social Media + Society 7(1): 1-13. DOI: 10.1177/2056305120984458 <Open Access> 

[28] Abidin, Crystal. 2021. “Mapping Internet Celebrity on TikTok: Exploring Attention Economies and Visibility Labours.” Cultural Science Journal 12(1): 77-103. DOI: 10.5334/csci.140 <Open Access>

[27] Abidin, Crystal, Tommaso Barbetta, and Jin Lee. 2020. “Influencers, Brands, and Pivots in the Time of COVID-19: A Look at Australian, Japanese, and Korean Issues.” M/C Journal 23(6). DOI: 10.5204/mcj.2729 <Open Access>

[26] Abidin, Crystal, Dan Brockington, Michael K. Goodman, Mary Mostafanezhad, and Lisa Ann Richey. 2020. “The Tropes of Celebrity Environmentalism.” Annual Review of Environment and Resources 45: 387-410. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-environ-012320-081703 <Open Access>

[25] Abidin, Crystal, Jin Lee, Tommaso Barbetta, and Miao Weishan. 2020. “Influencers and COVID-19: Reviewing key issues in press coverage across Australia, China, Japan, and South Korea.” Media International Australia 178(1): 114-135. DOI: 10.1177/1329878X20959838 <Open Access>

[24] Abidin, Crystal, and Jing Zeng. 2020. “Feeling Asian Together: Coping with #COVIDRacism on Subtle Asian Traits.” Social Media + Society 6(3): 1-5. DOI: 10.1177/2056305120948223 <Open Access>

[23] Abidin, Crystal. 2020. “Meme factory cultures and content pivoting in Singapore and Malaysia during COVID-19.” The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Misinformation Review 1. DOI: 10.37016/mr-2020-031 <Open Access> 

[22] Abidin, Crystal, Kjeld Hansen, Mathilde Hogsnes, Gemma Newlands, Mette Lykke Nielsen, Louise Yung Nielsen, Tanja Sihvonen. 2020. “A Review of Formal and Informal Regulations in the Nordic Influencer Industry.” Nordic Journal of Media Studies 2(1): 71-83. DOI: 10.2478/njms-2020-0007 <Open Access>

[21] Abidin, Crystal. 2020. “Somewhere Between Here and There: Negotiating Researcher Visibility in a Digital Ethnography of the Influencer Industry.” Journal of Digital Social Research 2(1): 56-76. DOI: 10.33621/jdsr.v2i1.20 <Open Access>

[20] Abidin, Crystal, and Gabriele de Seta. 2020. “Private messages from the field: Confessions on digital ethnography and its discomforts.” Journal of Digital Social Research 2(1): 1-19. DOI: 10.33621/jdsr.v2i1.35 <Open Access>

[19] Liew, Kai Khiun, and Crystal Abidin. 2020. “‘Si Geena’ (Brat): Un-social digital juveniles’ episodic resistance in Singapore.” Asiascape: Digital Asia 7(1-2): 122-144. DOI: 10.1163/22142312-12340118 <Paywalled | pdf>

[18] Abidin, Crystal. 2019. “Minahs and Minority Celebrity: Parody YouTube Influencers and Minority Politics in Singapore.” Celebrity Studies 12(4):598–617. DOI: 10.1080/19392397.2019.1698816 <Paywalled | pdf>

[17] Abidin, Crystal. 2019. “Yes Homo: Gay Influencers, Homonormativity, and Queerbaiting on YouTube.” Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies 33(5): 614-629. DOI: 10.1080/10304312.2019.1644806 <Paywalled | pdf>

[16] Abidin, Crystal, and Joel Gn. 2018. “Between Art and Application: Special Issue on Emoji Epistemology.” First Monday 23(9). DOI: 10.5210/fm.v23i9.9410 <Open Access>

[15] Ask, Kristine, and Crystal Abidin. 2018. “My life is a mess: Self-deprecating relatability and collective identities in the memification of student issues.” Information, Communication and Society 21(6): 834-850. DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2018.1437204 <Paywalled | pdf>

[14] Abidin, Crystal, and Joel Gwynne. 2017. “Entrepreneurial Selves, Feminine Corporeality, and Lifestyle Blogging in Singapore.” Asian Journal of Social Science 45(4-5): 385-408. DOI: 10.1163/15685314-04504002 <Paywalled | pdf>

[13] Abidin, Crystal. 2017. “#familygoals: Family Influencers, Calibrated Amateurism, and Justifying Young Digital Labour.” Social Media + Society 3(2): 1-15. DOI: 10.1177/2056305117707191 <Open Access>

[12] Abidin, Crystal. 2016. “Happy #monthsary babe!: Vernacular readings and practices of monthsaries among young couplings on social media.” Networking Knowledge 9(6): 56-73. <Open Access | Video abstract>

[11] Abidin, Crystal. 2016. “Visibility labour: Engaging with Influencers’ fashion brands and #OOTD advertorial campaigns on Instagram.” Media International Australia 161(1): 86-100. DOI: 10.1177/1329878X16665177 <Paywalled | pdf>

[10] Abidin, Crystal. 2016. “Aren’t these just young, rich women doing vain things online?: Influencer selfies as subversive frivolity.” Social Media + Society 2(2): 1-17. DOI: 10.1177/2056305116641342 <Open Access>

[9] Warfield, Katie, Carolina Cambre, and Crystal Abidin. 2016. “Introduction to the Social Media + Society Special Issue on Selfies: Me-diated Inter-faces.” Social Media + Society 2(2): 1-5. DOI: 10.1177/2056305116641344 <Open Access>

[8] Abidin, Crystal. 2016. “Agentic cute (^.^): Pastiching East Asian cute in Influencer commerce.” East Asian Journal of Popular Culture 2(1): 33-47. DOI: 10.1386/eapc.2.1.33_1 <Paywalled | pdf>

[7] Abidin, Crystal. 2015. “Communicative Intimacies: Influencers and Perceived Interconnectedness.” Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, & Technology 8. DOI: 10.7264/N3MW2FFG <Open Access>

[6] Abidin, Crystal. 2015. “Micro-microcelebrity: Branding babies on the Internet.” M/C Journal 18(5). <Open Access>

[5] Abidin, Crystal. 2014. “‘I also Melayu ok’ – Malay-Chinese women negotiating the ambivalence of biraciality for agentic autonomy.” M/C Journal 17(5). <Open Access>

[4] Abidin, Crystal. 2013. “Cyber-BFFs: Assessing women’s ‘perceived interconnectedness’ in Singapore’s commercial lifestyle blog industry.” Global Media Journal Australian Edition 7(1). <Open Access>

[3] Abidin, Crystal. 2013. “‘Cya IRL’: Researching digital communities online and offline.” Limina 18(2). <Open Access>

[2] Pande, Rukmini, and Crystal Abidin. 2013. “Special Edition (2013): ‘Humanising Collaboration’.” Limina 18(2). <Open Access>

[1] Abidin, Crystal, and Eric C. Thompson. 2012. “Buymylife.com: Cyberfemininities and Commercial Intimacy in Blogshops.” Women’s Studies International Forum 35(6): 467-477. DOI: 10.1016/j.wsif.2012.10.005 <Paywalled | pdf>

EDITORIALS & REVIEWS IN JOURNALS

[16] Grady, John, Susan Hansen, Gillian Rose, Treaandrea M. Russworm, Paolo Favero, Oraib Toukan, Crystal Abidin, Ace Lehner, M.C. Cambre, Gaby David, and Tania Rossetto. 2023. “What is an Image? Roundtable Transcription, International Visual Sociology Association Annual Conference, September 16, 2022.” Visual Studies 38(2): 227–234. DOI: 10.1080/1472586X.2023.2198434 <Open Access>

[15] Abidin, Crystal. 2023. “What is an image in the digital age?” Visual Studies 38(2): 190–191. DOI: 10.1080/1472586X.2023.2198386 <Paywalled | pdf>

[14] Harlig, Alexandra, Crystal Abidin, Trevor Boffone, Kelly Bowker, Colette Eloi, Pamela Krayenbuhl, Chuyun Oh. 2021. “TikTok and Short-Form Screendance Before and After Covid.” The International Journal of Screendance 12 (2021). DOI: 10.18061/ijsd.v12i0.8348 <Open Access>

[13] Abidin, Crystal, and Issaaf Karhawi. 2021. “Influenciadores digitais, celebridades da internet e “blogueirinhas”: uma entrevista com Crystal Abidin. (Influencers, internet celebrities and “bloggers”: an interview with Crystal Abidin)” Intercom: Brazilian Journal of Communication Sciences 44(1): 289-301. DOI: 10.1590/1809-58442021114 <Open Access>

[12] Aydemir, Asli Telli. 2020. “Lifeworlds: An Interview with Crystal Abidin.” Moment: Journal of Cultural Studies 7(2): 391-397. DOI: 10.17572/mj2020.2.391397 <Open Access>

[11] Stuart, Kate, & Eoin Murray. 2020. “Interview with Dr Crystal Abidin.” Networking Knowledge 13(1): 1-9. DOI: 10.31165/nk.2020.131.597 <Open Access>

[10] Abidin, Crystal. 2019. “Navigating Interdisciplinarity as a Precarious Early Career Researcher.” Cultural Studies Review 25(2): 78-83. DOI: 10.5130/csr.v25i2.6880 <Open Access>

[9] Abidin, Crystal. 2019. “Tacit Labours of Digital Social Research as an Early Career Researcher.” Journal of Digital Social Research 1(1): 31-34. DOI: 10.33621/jdsr.v1i1.10 <Open Access>

[8] Abidin, Crystal. 2018. “Milner, Ryan M. The World Made Meme: Public Conversations and Participatory Media.” Asiascape: Digital Asia 5(3): 255-257. DOI: 10.1163/22142312-12340097 <Paywalled>

[7] Abidin, Crystal. 2018. “Book Review: Marcel Danesi, The Semiotics of Emoji: The Rise of Visual Language in the Age of the Internet.” Discourse and Communication 12(4): 450-453. DOI: 10.1177/1750481318773208b <Paywalled>

[6] Abidin, Crystal. 2016. “Jill Walker Rettberg, Seeing Ourselves Through Technology: How We Use Selfies, Blogs and Wearable Devices to See and Shape Ourselves.” Mobile Media & Communication 4(2): 290-292. DOI: 10.1177/2050157916633942b <Paywalled>

[5] Abidin, Crystal. 2015. “Chris Hudson (2013) Beyond the Singapore Girl: Discourses of Gender and Nation in Singapore.” Asian Journal of Social Science 43(5): 649-663.  DOI: 10.1163/15685314-04305008 <Paywalled>

[4] Abidin, Crystal. 2015. “Ethnography and virtual worlds: a handbook of method, by Tom Boellstorff, Bonnie Nardi, Celia Pearce and T.L. Taylor.” Anthropological Forum: A Journal of Social Anthropology and Comparative Sociology 25(3): 306-308. DOI: 10.1080/00664677.2014.943138 <Paywalled >

[3] Abidin, Crystal. 2013. “Book Review: Romit Dasgupta, Re-reading the Salaryman in Japan: Crafting Masculinities.” Limina 19(1). <Open Access>

[2] Abidin, Crystal, and Rukmini Pande. 2013. “Exclusivity: Research in Practice – Interview with Professor Gilbert Herdt.” Limina 19(1). <Open Access>

[1] Abidin, Crystal, and Rukmini Pande. 2012. “History in Practice Interview – Prof. Susan Broomhall.” Limina 18(1). <Open Access>

BOOK CHAPTERS

[30] Shen, Sijun, and Crystal Abidin. (Forthcoming, 2025). “‘BM girl’ influencers on Xiaohongshu: Tracing beauty discourse, social media challenges, and consumption practices in Chinese society.” Pp. tbd in Technology, Power & Society: Global Perspectives on the Digital Transformation, edited by Dennis Nguyen, Jing Zeng, and Bruce Mutsvairo.

[29] Abidin, Crystal, and Harry T Dyer. (Forthcoming, 2024). “Shaping Identity through the Mobile Media of TikTok.” Pp. tbd in Routledge Companion to Mobile Media, edited by Gerard Goggin and Larissa Hjorth. London and New York: Routledge. <pdf | Book>

[28] Lee, Jin, and Crystal Abidin. 2023. “Ella Gross and child social media stars: Rising to fame through K-pop idol trainee systems, mixed raceness, and tabloid cycle controversies.” Pp. 71–94 in Women We Love In and Around K-Pop and K-Drama in the Hallyu Era, edited by Liew Kai Khiun, Lee SooJin, and Kate Korroch. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. <pdf | Book> 

[27] Zeng, Jing, and Crystal Abidin. 2023. “‘#OkBoomer, time to meet the Zoomers’: Studying the memefication of intergenerational politics on TikTok.” Pp. tbd in The Playful Politics of Memes, edited by Mette Mortensen and Christina Neumayer. London and New York: Routledge. <pdf | Book>

[26] Dyer, Harry T, and Crystal Abidin. 2022. “Understanding Identity and Platform Cultures.” Pp. 170–187 in Sage Handbook of Digital Society, edited by Richard Fitzgerald, et al. California: SAGE Publishing. <pdf | Book>

[25] Abidin, Crystal. 2022. “What I Talk About When I Talk About Authenticity: An Auto-bibliographic inquiry.” Pp. 209–214 in Cultures of Authenticity, edited by Marie Heřmanová, Michael Skey, and Thomas Thurnell-Read. Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing. DOI: 10.1108/978-1-80117-936-220221015 <pdf | Chapter | Book>

[24] Abidin, Crystal, and D. Bondy Valdovinos Kaye. 2021. “Audio memes, Earworms, and Templatability: The ‘aural turn’ of memes on TikTok.” Pp. 58-68 in Critical Meme Reader: Global Mutations of the Viral Image, edited by Chloë Arkenbout, Jack Wilson, and Daniel de Zeeuw. Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures. <pdf | OA Book> 

[23] Abidin, Crystal. 2021. “Activism in Singapore in the Digital Age: Influencer Cultures, Meme Factories, and Networked Virality.” Pp. 49-55 in Singapore Perspectives: Politics, edited by Natalie Pang, Shamil Zainuddin. Singapore: Institute of Policy Studies. DOI: 10.1142/9789811225734_0008 <pdf | Chapter | Book>

[22] Abidin, Crystal, and Tomislav Marić. 2021. “Interview with Crystal Abidin (2020).” Pp.48-52 in Introducing Anthropology (Second Edition), authored by Laura Pountney and Tomislav Marić. California: SAGE Publishing. <pdf | Book>

[21] Kent, Mike, and Crystal Abidin. 2021. “Action Research and Digital Media.” Pp. 301-324 in Action Research in Education (Fifth Edition), authored by Ernie Stringer and Alfredo Ortiz. California: SAGE Publishing. <pdf | Book>

[20] Abidin, Crystal. 2020. “Preschool stars on YouTube: Child microcelebrities, Commercially viable biographies, and Interactions with technology.” Pp. 226-234 in The Routledge Companion of Children and Digital Media, edited by Lelia Green, Donell Holloway, Leslie Haddon, Kylie Stevenson, and Tama Leaver. London and New York: Routledge. <pdf | Book>

[19] Kanai, Akane, Crystal Abidin, and Matthew Hart. 2020. “Practices, Privacy, and Privileges: Conducting Research on Tumblr.” Pp. 114-126 in A Tumblr Book: Platform and Cultures, edited by Allison McCracken, Alexander Cho, Louisa Stein, Indira Neill. Michigan: University of Michigan Press. <pdf | OA Book>

[18] Abidin, Crystal. 2020. “L8r H8r: Commoditized Privacy, Influencer Wars, and Productive Disorder in the Influencer industry.” Pp 31-48 in Produsing Theory in a Digital World: The Intersection of Audiences and Production in Contemporary Theory (Volume 3), edited by Rebecca Ann Lind. Pieterlen and Bern: Peter Lang. <pdf | Book>

[17] Abidin, Crystal. 2020. “Growing up and growing old on the internet: Influencer life courses and the internet as home.” Pp. 84-94 in Metaphors of the Internet: Ways of Being in the Age of Ubiquity, edited by Annette Markham and Katrin Tiidenberg. Digital Formations Series, Peter Lang. <pdf | Book>

[16] Moon, Jungyoun, and Crystal Abidin. 2020. “Online Ajumma: Self-presentations of contemporary elderly women via digital media in Korea.” Pp. 177-189 in Mediated Interfaces: The Body on Social Media, edited by Katie Warfield, Crystal Abidin, and Carolina Cambre. London: Bloomsbury Academic. <pdf | Book>

[15] Warfield, Katie, Carolina Cambre, and Crystal Abidin. 2020. “Introduction to Mediated Interfaces: The Body in Social Media.” Pp. 1-15 in Mediated Interfaces: The Body on Social Media, edited by Katie Warfield, Crystal Abidin, and Carolina Cambre. London: Bloomsbury Academic. <pdf | Book>

[14] Abidin, Crystal. 2020. “Hanging out at home as a lifestyle: YouTube home tour vlogs in East Asia.” Pp. 122-131 in The Routledge Companion to Media and Class, edited by Erika Polson, Lynn Schofield Clark, and Radhika Gajjala. London and New York: Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781351027342-11 <Chapter | pdf | Book | Book>

[13] Abidin, Crystal. 2019. “Victim, Rival, Bully: Influencers’ narrative cultures around cyber-bullying.” Pp. 199-212 in Narratives in Research and Interventions on Cyberbullying among Young People, edited by Heidi Vandebosch and Lelia Green. New York: Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-04960-7_13 <Chapter | pdf | Book>

[12] Abidin, Crystal, and Rob Cover. 2019. “Gay, famous and Working Hard on YouTube: Influencers, queer microcelebrity publics, and discursive activism.” Pp. 217-231 in Youth, Sexuality and Sexual Citizenship, edited by Peter Aggleton, Rob Cover, Deana Leahy, Daniel Marshall, and Mary Lou Rasmussen. London and New York: Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781351214742-20 <Chapter | pdf | Book>

[11] Limkangvanmongkol, Vimviriya, and Crystal Abidin. 2018. “Net idols and beauty bloggers’ negotiations of race, commerce, and cultural customs: Emergent microcelebrity genres in Thailand.” Pp. 95-106 in Microcelebrity Around the Globe: Approaches to cultures of internet fame, edited by Crystal Abidin and Megan Lindsay Brown. Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing. DOI: 10.1108/978-1-78756-749-820181009 <Chapter | pdf | Book>

[10] Abidin, Crystal. 2018. “Origin stories: An ethnographic account of researching microcelebrity.” Pp. 71-81 in Microcelebrity Around the Globe: Approaches to cultures of internet fame, edited by Crystal Abidin and Megan Lindsay Brown. Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing. DOI: 10.1108/978-1-78756-749-820181006 <Chapter | pdf | Book>

[9] Şimşek, Burcu, Crystal Abidin, and Megan Lindsay Brown. 2018. “Musical.ly and microcelebrity among girls.” Pp. 47-56 in Microcelebrity Around the Globe: Approaches to cultures of internet fame, edited by Crystal Abidin and Megan Lindsay Brown. Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing. DOI: 10.1108/978-1-78756-749-820181004 <Chapter | pdf | Book>

[8] Abidin, Crystal, and Megan Lindsay Brown. 2018. “Introduction.” Pp. 1-18 in Microcelebrity Around the Globe: Approaches to cultures of internet fame, edited by Crystal Abidin and Megan Lindsay Brown. Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing. DOI: 10.1108/978-1-78756-749-820181001 <Chapter | pdf | Book>

[7] Abidin, Crystal. 2018. “Young people and digital grief etiquette.” Pp. 160-174 in A Networked Self: Birth, Life, Death, edited by Zizi Papacharissi. London and New York: Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781315202129-10 <Chapter | pdf | Book>

[6] Abidin, Crystal. 2017. “‘Just Asian’? Inscribing East Asian mixed race in Australia.” Pp. 84-100 in Mixed Race Identities in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, edited by Farida Fozdar and Kirsten McGavin. London: Routledge. <Chapter | pdf | Book>

[5] Abidin, Crystal. 2017. “Vote for my selfie: Politician selfies as charismatic engagement.” Pp. 75-87 in Selfie Citizenship, edited by Adi Kuntsman. London: Palgrave Pivot. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-45270-8_9 <Chapter | pdf | Book >

[4] Abidin, Crystal. 2017. “Sex Bait: Sex talk on commercial blogs as informal sexuality education.” Pp. 493-508 in Palgrave Handbook of Sexuality Education, edited by Louisa Allen and Mary Lou Rasmussen. London: Palgrave Macmillan. DOI: 10.1057/978-1-137-40033-8_24 <Chapter | pdf | Book>

[3] Abidin, Crystal. 2017. “Influencer Extravaganza: A decade of commercial ‘lifestyle’ microcelebrities in Singapore.” Pp. 158-168 in Routledge Companion to Digital Ethnography, edited by Larissa Hjorth, Heather Horst, Genevieve Bell, and Anne Galloway. London: Routledge. <pdf | Book>

[2] Abidin, Crystal, and Mart Ots. 2016. “Influencers Tell All? Unravelling Authenticity and Credibility in a Brand Scandal.” Pp. 153-161 in Blurring the Lines: Market-driven and Democracy-driven Freedom of Expression, edited by Maria Edström, Andrew T Kenyon, and Eva-Maria Svensson. Göteborg: Nordic Information Centre for Media and Communication Research. <pdf | Open Access book | Purchase book>

[1] Abidin, Crystal. 2014. “#In$tagLam: Instagram as a repository of taste, a brimming marketplace, a war of eyeballs.” Pp. 119-128 in Mobile Media Making in the Age of Smartphones, edited by Marsha Berry and Max Schleser. New York: Palgrave Pivot. Part of DOI: 10.1057/9781137469816_11 <Chapter | pdf | Book>

SELECTED CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

[27] # Zhao, Xinyu, and Crystal Abidin. 2021. “TikTok’s ‘Fox Eye’ Trend and Everyday Activism: Gen Z Agency in an Audiovisual Narrative Case study.” Association of Internet Researchers Conference 2021, 13-16 October 2021. <Open Access>

[26] # Vizcaíno-Verdú, Arantxa and Crystal Abidin. 2021. “Cross-cultural storytelling approaches in TikTok’s music challenges.” Association of Internet Researchers Conference 2021, 13-16 October 2021. <Open Access>

[25] # Poh, Yu Ting, and Crystal Abidin. 2021. “Douyin and TikTok: A Cross-language Systematic Review of Academic Scholarship on Sister Apps.” Association of Internet Researchers Conference 2021, 13-16 October 2021. <Open Access>

[24] # Chen, Guo, and Crystal Abidin. 2021. “Liziqi and Chinese Rural YouTube Videos: Scoping a Genre.” Association of Internet Researchers Conference 2021, 13-16 October 2021. <Open Access>

[23] # Berryman, Rachel Anne, Crystal Abidin, and Tama Leaver. 2021. “A Topography of Virtual Influencers.” Association of Internet Researchers Conference 2021, 13-16 October 2021. <Open Access>

[22] # Tiidenberg, Katrin, Natalie Hendry, Crystal Abidin, D. Bondy Valdovinos Kaye, Jing Zeng, Patrik Wikstrom, Taina Bucher, Tim Highfield, Tama Leaver, and Jack Qiu. 2021. “Platform Specificities: The Platform Books Panel.” Association of Internet Researchers Conference 2021, 13-16 October 2021. <Open Access>

[21] Abidin, Crystal, and Jing Zeng. 2020. “‘Subtle Asian Traits’: Platformed race on Facebook.” Selected Papers of Internet Research 21: The 21st Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. <Open Access>

[20] Abidin, Crystal. 2020. “‘Feels Bar’ and masculine vulnerability: Commenting cultures on 9GAG.” Selected Papers of Internet Research 21: The 21st Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. <Open Access>

[19] Abidin, Crystal. 2020. “‘Please read the comments’: Commenting cultures across platforms.” Selected Papers of Internet Research 21: The 21st Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. <Open Access>

[18] Leaver, Tama, Crystal Abidin, and Tim Highfield. 2019. “Framing Instagram: New Approaches.” Selected Papers of Internet Research 20: The 20th Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. <Open Access>

[17] Abidin, Crystal. 2019. “Disappearing data: Monetizing and astroturfing vernaculars on tumblr pre- and post-NSFW ban.” Selected Papers of Internet Research 20: The 20th Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. <Open Access>

[16] #Pang, Natalie, and Crystal Abidin. 2019. “Decoding the weaponising of pop culture on WhatsApp in Singapore and Malaysia.” Selected Papers of Internet Research 20: The 20th Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. <Open Access>

[15] Abidin, Crystal, Ariadna Matamoros-Fernández, Tim Highfield, and Kate Milner. 2018. “Pictogramic cultures and economies on the internet.” Selected Papers of Internet Research 19: The 19th Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. <Open Access>

[14] Leaver, Tama, and Crystal Abidin. 2018. “From YouTube to TV, and Back Again: Viral video child stars and media flows in the era of social media.” Selected Papers of Internet Research 19: The 19th Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. <Open Access | Video abstract>

[13] Tiidenberg, Katrin, and Crystal Abidin. 2018. “Unsalable popularity: Economies of NSFW visibility on Tumblr.” Selected Papers of Internet Research 19: The 19th Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. <Open Access>

[12] Abidin, Crystal. 2018. “Yes Homo: Gay Influencers, Celebrity, and Activism on YouTube.” Selected Papers of Internet Research 19: The 19th Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. <Open Access>

[11] Abidin, Crystal. 2017. “Towards a theory of cross-media networked microcelebrity: Of bedrooms, blogsites, broadcasts, and boardrooms.” Selected Papers of Internet Research 18: The 18th Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. <Open Access>

[10] Ask, Kristine, and Crystal Abidin. 2017. “My life is a mess: Self-deprecating relatability and the memefication of student publics.” Selected Papers of Internet Research 18: The 18th Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. <Open Access>

[9] Abidin, Crystal. 2016. “Gross is the new like: Allure, visceral camp, and carnivalesque commerce in grotesque microcelebrity.” Selected Papers of Internet Research 17: The 17th Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. <Link>

[8] Abidin, Crystal. 2016. “Sorry not sorry: Influencers, shamelebrity, and para-apologetic transgressions.” Selected Papers of Internet Research 17: The 17th Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. <Open Access>

[7] Abidin, Crystal. 2016. “Grief hype-jacking: Global events, publicity grieving, and visibility practices.” Selected Papers of Internet Research 17: The 17th Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. <Link>

[6] Abidin, Crystal. 2016. “Queer Influencers: Personal illustrations amidst repressive sexuality education.” Selected Papers of Internet Research 17: The 17th Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. <Open Access>

[5] Abidin, Crystal. 2015. “Internet (in)famous: The mystification and folklore of microcelebrification.” Selected Papers of Internet Research 16: The 16th Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. <Open Access>

[4] Ots, Mart, and Crystal Abidin. 2015. “Commercialism, audience intimacy and brand credibility in fashion blogging.” Communicative democracy: Protecting, promoting and developing free speech in the digital era. <pdf | Conference> 

[3] Abidin, Crystal, and Mart Ots. 2015. “The Influencer’s dilemma: The shaping of new brand professions between credibility and commerce.” Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), Aug 2015. <pdf | Conference>

[2] Abidin, Crystal. 2014. “Privacy for Profit: Commodifying Privacy in Lifestyle Blogging.” Selected Papers of Internet Research 15: The 15th Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. <Open Access>

[1] Abidin, Crystal. 2013. “#lifeisgood: Understanding Social Currency in the Female Commercial Blog Industry in Singapore.” ISA eSymposium for Sociology 2013, isa.e-Forum. Dec 2013. <pdf>