Hi folks,
On 11 April 2018, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Richelle Hunt of ABC Radio Melbourne on internet celebrity and Influencer cultures. 16:39 of our brain-making is below. With many thanks to producer Katy Gallichio for facilitating this.
/C
Moshimoshi folks!
In March, I had the pleasure of keynoting at the Brand Experience Through New Media Event at Aalto University, in a building that was really a luxurious Finnish spa resort masquerading as a place of higher learning.
If you are so inclined, here is 23:59 of me speaking on Cultures of Internet Celebrity, based on my forthcoming book, Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online.
Many many thanks to Miikka Lehtonen, Markus Ahola, and Tanja Sihvonen for the invitation and for pulling this together with your super efficient team and the unrivalled Finnish hospitality.
The event was held in Mordor with giant mustard bean bags and giant table lamps for the Cosiest Atmosphere At An Academic Event ever. I almost didn’t want the event to kickoff so that I could lounge in Mordor forever in my matching mustard sweater.
We ended the day with a 47:36 panel discussion and Q&A on Influencer cultures, featuring yours truly and Stina Varsikko of Splay, moderated by Miikka Lehtonen. Watch that goodness here:
/C
Moshimoshi folks!
I am finally back on the continent where the sun is perpetually glorious (and sometimes threatening to kill you but at least everything is beautiful).
This April and May, I am Visiting Research Fellow at the Department of Media and Communication, Swinburne University, thanks to a competitive grant awarded to the imitable Kath Albury.
At Swinburne, I will be keynoting at the Selfie Subjectivies Symposium and launching my forthcoming book alongside Katrin Tiidenberg, speaking at a colloquium on The Influencer Industry, and teaching a masterclass on Internet Paralanguages.
I’ll also be visiting RMIT to guest lecture in the Global Communication in a Digital Age Masters’ Programme thanks to an invitation from media-anthropology-brain-hub John Postill.
Between Melbourne happenings, I’ll be making quick trips to the Media Industries conference (London) to speak on a panel on “Global Developments in Social Media Entertainment”, to the Theorizing the Web conference (New York) to speak on a keynote panel on “The Next Generation”, and to the International Communication Conference (Prague) to give a paper on “Cultures of Celebrity and Labour within Tumblr’s Architecture”.
If you’re based in Melbourne and would like to chat, please beep! Otherwise, I plan to spend all my time harassing all my friends for all the hot chocolate and margarita dates.
/C
Hi folks,
I am super honoured to be named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2018 list for Media, Marketing & Advertising.
Representing academia is your friendly neighbourhood anthropologist: “Crystal Abidin, 29, Anthropologist, Jönköping University & Curtin University”.
Browse through the full lists of lists here.
And here is a round-up of young Singaporeans who have made the list this year. Majulah, anak anak di Singapura <3
I will also now have to live with the consequences of these vital nuggets of information being on public record forever.
PS: Mr Dick Lee, on the off-chance you happen to be reading this, I really admire and love your body of work. (notice me, senpai (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧)
PPS: Long live the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993).
/C
Hi folks!
I was invited to be on a podcast with the good people over at The Human Show, shedding light on what it is anthropologists actually do. Here is 35:32 of me dishing some brain foods on Influencers, youth cultures online, the place of platforms and traditional media in the age of internet celebrity, and the value of anthropology.
Highlights include:
–04:39 on how we can practice participant observation on the internet
–06:17 on the value of Influencers beyond commerce
–10:30 on how Influencers and platforms impact each other
–18:36 on the relationship between Influencers and traditional media
–26:46 on whether young internet celebrities are just being exploited online
–28:23 on truth bombs about whether you should sign up for a PhD or work as a practitioner anthropologist
Includes gold nugget streams-of-consciousness such as:
“if you do decide to pursue academia, by doing a higher postgrad study, always keep your doors open. Don’t be the type of person who’s really confident that you’ll finish your PhD and be a professor and retire and then die, because those things do not exist anymore. At the same time, don’t be too despaired by all the quit lit that academia is a crazy space, because there are people who have found communities, who have found like-minded people who enjoy the work you do. And we do find ways to call out insecurities and inequalities as we see it to make this environment better for all of us who are living in it.”
I hope you enjoy it (and not hate my voice as much as I do).
/C
