Locate my updates on the go at @wishcrysdotcom or check out a Spotify playlist of a selection of my podcasts.

KEYNOTES & LECTURES

• [Register | Watch] Steel, Catherine Knight, Crystal Abidin, Brooke Erin Duffy, Kelechi Okafor. 2026. “Content Creation and the End of Social Media.” DISCO Network, University of Michigan. 26 February 2026.
• [Register | Watch] Abidin, Crystal. 2024. “Child influencers: Taxonomies and Benchmarking Regulations APAC region.” Australian Influencer Marketing Council (AiMCO). 13 February 2024.
• [Register | Watch] Wong, Chin Yi, John Wong, Crystal Abidin, Jonathan Kuek, Narasimman Tivasiha Mani. 2024. “The Centrality of Well-being.” Singapore Perspectives 2024, Institute of Policy Studies, Singapore. 22 January 2024.
• [Video] Abidin, Crystal. 2023. “Cultural Experience Influencers and Agencies in Japan.” ACAT, Centre for Culture and Technology, Curtin University. 21 August 2023.
• [Link | Video] Abidin, Crystal. 2023. “Influencer ick: The politics of naming your job in the internet celebrity industry.” Youth + Work Symposium. Monash University, Melbourne. 22 June 2023.
• [Link | Video] “Inter-cultural Influencers: Industry logics, Platform optics, and Arbiters from the Asia Pacific region.” Association for Visual Pedagogies Conference 2023, Christchurch. 8–10 June 2023.
• [Teaser] “Digital Ethnographies of Social Media Pop Cultures.” SAGE Research Methods, 2022. [six parts]
• [Link] “ICA Sponsored Annual Steve Jones Internet Research Lecture 2022.” International Communication Association Conference 2022, Paris. 26–30 May 2022.
• [Video | Link | Programme] “TikTok, Youth Cultures, and the East Asian Influencer Industry.” Connected Learning Summit 2021, 30 July 2021.
• [Link | Watch] “Is research output fit for the future?” Emerald Publishing, UK. 30 June 2021.
• [Link | Watch] “Internet Celebrity and Social Media Pop Cultures: An Introduction to Digital Ethnographic Methods.” Spring Doctoral School, Inter-university PhD in Communication, Spain. 16 April 2021.
• [Link | Watch] “Key issues on the governance and regulation of the Influencer industry.” Curtin Corner, John Curtin Institute of Public Policy, Curtin University, Perth. 26 March 2021.
• [TED | NP | YouTube | Instagram] “Internet Culture & Social Media.” TEDxYouth @ Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore. 13 November 2020.
• [Link | Video 00:24:20–00:42:23] “Influencers in the age of call out and cancel cultures.” Platformed Creation, Stanford Ethnography Lab, Stanford University, 16 October 2020.
• [Video | About] “The Influencer industry in the Nordic and beyond: Cultures, regulations, and international trends.” Handelsrådets Dag, 6 October 2020.
• [Video] “Influencer cultures on TikTok.” ACAT, CCAT, Curtin University. 3 September 2020.
• [Full panel] “Kabar industri influencer marketing di tengah pandemi COVID-19 (News about the influencer marketing industry amidst the COVID-19 pandemic)” Gushcloud Indonesia, 11 August 2020.
• [Link | Link | Video] “Influencers, Misinformation, and ‘Under the Radar’ Strategies.” Virtual Summer Speaker Series: Fake News & Disinformation and its Spread, Center for Computational and Data Science, iSchool, Syracuse University. 5 August 2020.
• [Full panel] “Using digital methods.” The Australian Sociological Association, Postgraduate and Early Career Researcher Session, 9 July 2020.
• [Event | Video | Full panel] “Singaporean influencers and COVID-19 on Instagram Stories.” Asian Celebrity and the Pandemic, Virtual webinar, The Asian Media and Cultural Studies Network, 18 June 2020. 
• [Full panel] “ICA2020 panel on TikTok and Douyin.” International Communication Association Conference 2020, Gold Coast. 21-25 May 2020.
• [Link | Watch talk from 2:40 + Q&A from 1:04:06] “New Forms and Movements.” Singapore Perspectives 2020, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore. 20 January 2020.
• [Video | Link | Link] “Influencer cultures and internet pop culture.” 19th GITEX Technology Week, Dubai. 6-10 October 2019.
• [Video | Summary | Link | Link | Link] “Social Media Influencers and Astroturfing Alcohol Advertising.” In Their Sights: The Dark Arts of Digital Alcohol Marketing, Parliament House, Canberra. 11 September 2019.
• [Video | Link] “What – and who – is being left behind?” ASEAN Forum: ASEAN and the Digital Revolution, University of Sydney, Sydney. 16 August 2019.
• [Video 23:49-1:35:24 | Link | Link | Link | Blog] “Public shaming, Vigilante trolling, and Genealogies of Transgression on the Singaporean Internet.” AoIR Flashpoint Symposia, Urbino. 24 June 2019.
• [Video] “Förstå influencer-industrin!” Frukostseminarium med Handelsrådet, Handelsrådet, Stockholm. 28 March 2019.
• [Video | Link] “Influencers and the commodification of everyday life: Brief histories from blogshops, Instagram, and tumblr.” MoneyLab #6: Infrastructures of Money, Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Siegen. March 7-8, 2019.
• [Video] “быть инфлюенсером: приватность и публичность в Ютубе (Being an Influencer: privacy and publicity in YouTube).” Vlogging: The Presentation of Self and Networked Publics, Online School of Internet Research 2018, Russia. October 2018.
•  [Video | Link | Link] “The Next Generation (keynote panelist).” Theorizing the Web, New York. April 27-28, 2018.
• [Video] “Brand Experience Through New Media: Youtube Influencers and Social Media Celebrities – Panel (keynote panelist).” Aalto University, Helsinki. 23 March 2018.
•  [Video] “Cultures of Internet Celebrity on Youtube – Crystal Abidin (keynote).” Aalto University, Helsinki. 23 March 2018.
• [Video] “Interdisciplinary Social Media: Social Influencers.” University of Sydney, Sydney. 17 October 2017.
•  [Video] “Vigilante trolling and contentious humour as activism.” Images of Social Justice, Visual Media Workshop, Department of Journalism and Communication Studies, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, British Columbia. May, 2016.
• [Video] “#thetravelingpingu: Traveling objects, Transient installations, and Social lubricants.” Docuverse, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne. 12 February 2016.
• [Abstract | Video] “Vote for my selfie: Politician selfies as charismatic leadership (plenary speaker).” Selfie Citizenship, Digital Innovation, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester. 16 April 2015.
• [Abstract | Video] “Public coupling: Imageries of domestic intimacy among social media microcelebrities.” Seminar Series, Mobile Life Center, Stockholm. 25 February 2015.

DOCUMENTARIES

• [Video | Article] “Instagram Utopia?” Compass, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 23 May 2021.
• [Video] “What Happened To Them After Going Viral Online?” Beyond The Viral Video, Channel News Asia, 11 December 2020.
• [Video] “The Ugly Realities Behind Cute Viral Videos.” Beyond The Viral Video, Channel News Asia, 11 December 2020.
• [Clip 07:16–09:50] “Child influencers are big business in Russia.” TRT World. 4 November 2019.
• [Site | YouTube] “Onlife: il mio Speciale Tg1 su come il digitale sta cambiando noi esseri umani (Onlife: Special TG1 episode on how the digital is changing us humans).” Speciale Tg1 RaiTV, 29 January 2017.

PODCASTS & RADIO

• [Podcast] “We’re vlogging our way to YouTube stardom.” BBC Radio 4, 22 April 2025.
• [Podcast] “Crystal Abidin on Influencers.” Social Science Space, 3 March 2025.
• [Podcast] “The danger of generational labelling.” ABC Radio National Future Tense, 7 February 2025.
• [Podcast] “BBC Trending: The cost of an addiction to Somali TikTok battles.” BBC The Documentary Podcast, 30 October 2024.
• [Radio] “Paris Olympics social media spike.” ABC PM, 9 August 2024.
• [Podcast] “TikTok’s superstar economy – how live-streaming is turning social media into a game played for money.” ABC RN, 25 February 2024.
• [Radio from 12:06] “How TikTok’s ‘filters for good’ could change the way activists use social media.” Triple J Hack, 22 November 2023.
• [Podcast | YouTube] “The ADHD diagnosis wave: is TikTok overselling neurodivergence? (Part 1).” ABC Everyday, 16 May 2023.
• [Podcast | YouTube | Spotify] “The Future of TikTok.” The Future Of, 16 May 2023.
• [Radio] “Do influencers actually know anything?” 2GB Sydney, 12 April 2023.
• [Podcast] “‘TeachTok’: When teachers become social media influencers.” Education Review, 4 April 2023.
• [Radio] “How ‘TeachTok’ is helping educators connect with students on social media.” RTR FM 92.1, 4 April 2023.
• [Link] “What TikTok’s new Bold Glamour filter means for Pacific users.” ABC Radio Pacific, 17 March 2023.
• [Link] “Spotlight forum: social media, child influencers and keeping your kids safe online.” ABC Mornings, 26 October 2022.
• [Radio] “What viral ‘corn kid’ says about the child influencer industry.” RTR FM 92.1, 20 September 2022.
• [Teaser | Podcast] “TikTok is more than just a frivolous app for lip-syncing and dancing – Podcast.” The Conversation, 2 June 2022.
• [Radio] “Fashion Influencers and TikTok hauls.” ABC Radio Melbourne, 15 November 2021.
• [Radio] “What makes pimple popping so viral?” ABC Drive, 12 October 2021.
• [Radio] “Indigenous creators ready to help with COVID messaging.” ABC AM, 9 September 2021.
• [Radio] “Living in a Time of Cancel Culture.” RTR FM92.1, 30 August 2021.
• [NVivo | Apple | Google | Spotify] “Episode 30: Digital Anthropology on Internet Cultures and Influencers.” NVivo, 17 August 2021.
• [Radio] “Digital influencer cultures in the Asia Pacific.” ABC Radio National, 16 April 2021.
• [Podcast] “Internet Ethnographer and researcher Crystal Abidin talks on TikTok and Douyin, Social Video virality and the social relationships extended through the networked body.” Print Screen, 22 March 2021.
• [Radio, from 19:12] “Modern social media influencer.” KMOX NewsRadio 1120, 25 February 2021.
• [Podcast | About] “TikTok: The Platform, The Public, The Politics.” ANU Policy Forum & Learning Communities, 22 September 2020.
• [Radio] “What is a ‘Meme Factory’?” ABC Radio National, 9 August 2020.
• [Radio, from 2:19:00] “Meme factories.” ABC Radio Hobart, 4 August 2020.
• [Radio] “When Influencers fight – with Crystal Abidin.” 2SER 107.3, 1 August 2020.
• [Radio] “Public health messages delivered by memes.” 2SER 107.3, 31 July 2020.
• [Radio] “Social Issues: Meme Factories?” Radio Adelaide 101.5, 30 July 2020.
• [Podcast] “Shaming Influencers: Should We Cancel ‘Cancel Culture’?” Frankly, My Dear, 26 July 2020.
• [Podcast] “Finding, Losing and Striving for Fame Online – with Dr Crystal Abidin.” Selfie Reflective, 17 March 2020.
• [YouTube | Spotify | Simplecast | Webpage | YouTube snippet] “The future of Internet Fame.” The Future Of, 03 February 2020.
• [Podcast] “ASEAN Forum 2019 – Dr Crystal Abidin.” Sydney Southeast Asia Centre, 18 October 2019.
• [Radio] “Students are fighting climate change, one TikTok video at a time.” ABC Online, 19 September 2019.
• [Podcast] “The Stage Moms of Social Media.” The Quirky, Mamamia, 26 July 2019.
• “Instagram is trying to help the way its users feel by making major changes.” ABC Far North Queensland, 24 July 2019.
• [Radio] “Instagram Hiding Like Count.” 98.5 Sonshine fm, 18 July 2019.
• [Radio] “World Emoji Day.” 98.5 Sonshine fm, 17 July 2019.
• [Podcast] “Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online, Emerald Publishing 2018.” New Books Network, 29 April 2019.
• [Podcast] “SocietyNow: Why study ‘frivolous’ topics like internet celebrity and selfie culture?” Emerald Publishing, UK. 15 June 2018.
• [Radio] “Internet celebrity and Influencer cultures.” Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio Melbourne, Melbourne. 11 April 2018.
• [Podcast | Highlights] “Crystal Abidin: Influencers, Youth Online and the Intersections of Social Media and Traditional Media.” The Human Show, New Zealand. 27 March 2018.
• [Radio] “How social media videos turn children into viral sensations.” Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio National (RN), 11 September 2017.
• [Radio] “Business Briefing: the ‘get rich quick scheme’ influencing what you buy.” The Conversation, 25 August 2017.
• [Radio | Transcription] “Slime safety: concerns about the latest online craze.” Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio National (RN), 3 May 2017.
• [Podcast | Article] “Singapore’s booming subculture of Instagram influencers.” The Asia Digital Life Project (ADLP), 28 May 2015.
• [Radio | Transcription] “In defence of the Selfie.” Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio National (RN), 24 October 2014.
• [Podcast | Article] “#OccupyCentral on Instagram: Unpacking the Protest Through its Visual Tropes.” The Asia Digital Life Project (ADLP), 18 October 2014.

INTERVIEWS & INQUIRIES

• [Video] “What it means to be a social media influencer.” Arirang News, 31 July 2023.
• [Reels] “The fitness industry has rapidly adapted to social media…” ABC Canberra, April 2023.
• [Video] “How millennials, Gen Z manage their friends on social media.” Arirang News, 11 April 2023.
• [Television] “Teens are Turning Away from Instagram.” ABC News Day, 9 November 2021.
• [About | Info | Location | Watch] “Inquiry: Influencer Culture.” Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, UK Parliament, 13 July 2021.
• [Video] “The Global Humanities Podcast: Crystal Abidin – Digital Anthropology.” The Humanities Experience, Curtin University, 17 November 2020.
• [Video] “CGY Conversations with… Dr. Crystal Abidin.” UCL Centre for Global Youth, 6 November 2020.
• [Video] “Influencers and Covid-19 – with Dr. Crystal Abidin.” TheSwedishLad, 5 April 2020.
• [Video] “Interview with Dr. Crystal Abidin from #AoIR2017.” Association of Internet Researchers, Tartu. 6 December 2017.

PRESS SNIPPETS & MINI-LECTURES

• [Twitter | Facebook] “It’s #SocialMediaDay, a time to celebrate how #socialmedia brings people together & changed global communication.” Curtin University, 30 June 2021.
• [Video] “Social media challenges can seem pointless, but they can work.” Junkee, 6 August 2020.
• [Video] “The Instagram Husband.” International Communication Conference 2020, Gold Coast. 21-25 May 2020.
• [YouTube | Facebook] “A panel of youth leaders spoke passionately about their causes…” Institute of Policy Studies. 29 January 2020.
• [Clip] “How to reach consumers through social media? GITEX experts answer.” Euronews. 12 October 2019.
• [Clip] “Dr Crystal Abidin – What is an ‘influencer’ in a news media context?” QUT Digital Media Research Centre. 3 April 2019.
• [Clip] “Om VIKTEN av ATT VÄLJA INFLUENCER med omsorg.” Handelsrådet, Stockholm. 28 March 2019.
• [Clip] “Wie wird man eigentlich #InfluencerIn?” Universität Siegen, Siegen. 20 March 2019.
• [Snapchat] “From YouTube to TV, and Back Again.” @wishcrys, Snapchat. 12 September 2017.
• [Snapchat] “Brief introduction to Influencers.” @wishcrys, Snapchat. 25 May 2017. 
• [Snapchat | YouTube | Article] “Monthsaries.” @wishcrys, Snapchat. 7 September 2016. 
• [Snapchat | Blog 01 | Blog 02] “Media analysis of Joseph Schooling’s Olympic Gold on Facebook.” @wishcrys, Snapchat. 16 August 2016. 
• [Snapchat | Blog] “Media analysis of NDP2016 on Twitter.” @wishcrys, Snapchat. 10 August 2016. 
• [Snapchat | Blog] “A few shifts in the Influencer industry.” @wishcrys, Snapchat. 4 August 2016. 
• [Snapchat] “Critique of Digiday article.” @wishcrys, Snapchat. 28 April 2016. 

FIELDWORK DIARIES @ SNAPCHAT

• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 27Sep17. “Visiting H&M HQ @ Stockholm.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 26Sep17. “Visiting Cure Media HQ @ Stockholm.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 25Sep17. “Chatting with Martin Arvebro/TheSwedishLad @ Stockholm.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 25Sep17. “Visiting United Screens HQ @ Stockholm.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 25Sep17. “Thoughts on who is an Influencer any way.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 25Sep17. “Visiting Buzzador HQ @ Stockholm.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 25Sep17. “Visiting H&M HQ @ Stockholm.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 22Sep17. “Visiting Nöjesguiden HQ @ Stockholm.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 22Sep17. “Visiting Cube HQ @ Stockholm.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 21Sep17. “Visiting Relatable.me HQ @ Stockholm.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 21Sep17. “Visiting Loppi.se HQ @ Stockholm.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 20Sep17. “Day 01 of fieldwork @ Stockholm.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 05Apr17. “Touring Haw Par Villa @ Singapore.”

CONFERENCE SNIPPETS @ SNAPCHAT

• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 17Dec16. “Crossroads conference day 04 @ University of Sydney.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 16Dec16. “Crossroads conference day 03 @ University of Sydney.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 15Dec16. “Sneak preview of thinspo paper for XR2016.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 15Dec16. “Sneak preview of knock-offs paper for XR2016.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 15Dec16. “AAS conference @ University of Sydney.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 14Dec16. “Sneak preview of grief paper for AAS.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 12Dec16. “Selfie symposium @ UNSW.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 01Dec16. “MINA day 02 @ Swinburne University.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 30Nov16. “MINA day 01 @ Swinburne University.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 25Jun16. “SHOT day 04 @ NUS.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 24Jun16. “SHOT day 03 @ NUS.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 23Jun16. “SHOT day 02 @ NUS.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 22Jun16. “SHOT day 01 @ NUS.”

BEHIND-THE-SCENES OF TEACHING @ SNAPCHAT

• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 20Mar17. “Selfie workshop @ Curtin University.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 09Sep16. “SG50+1 guest lecture @ The Substation.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 31Aug16. “Selfie workshop @ UWA.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 07Aug16. “Sociology of popular culture syllabus update @ NUS.”

DAY-IN-THE-LIFE-OF @ SNAPCHAT

• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 09Sep16. “Survey @ The Substation.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 29Aug16. “Reading Culture of Narcissism.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 29Jul16. “Working on a research paper.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 19Jul16. “Brainfarts while walking into Curtin University.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 16Jun16. “Writing updates.”
• [Snapchat] Abidin, Crystal. 05May16. “Each Blade of Grass @ The Substation.”

This page was last updated on 25 April 2025.