This page lists a selection of my research projects,
listed according to active, concluded, and on hiatus, in reverse chronological order.
For a consolidated list of my COVID-19 research across projects, see here.

ACTIVE

COVID-19 Messaging and Youth Engagements on TikTok
2020–Present
Project page>>

This project is an individual grant hosted at Curtin University, and is funded by the Social Science Research Council and Wenner-Gren Foundation Rapid-Response Grants on COVID-19 grant, September 2020–March 2021. Ethics Office approval number HRE2019-0806.

Social Media Influencers as Conduits of Knowledge in Australia and Asia
Active, 2019–Present
Project page>>

Including feeder projects:

• Knowledges on Douyin vs. TikTok: Platforms, Populism, and Performance
• Short Video Apps in China
• COVID-19 Anti-Asian Racism and Discursive Activism on Subtle Asian Traits
• The impact of COVID-19 on the Influencer industry in East Asia and beyond
• K-pop fandoms, social media manipulation, and activism
• COVID-19 Messaging and Youth Engagements on TikTok

This project is an individual grant hosted at Curtin University, and is funded by the Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) (Australia), July 2019–June 2022 (DE190100789). The project is also supplemented and extended with support and funding by Curtin University (July 2019–June 2024), Tencent (August–December 2019), MCASI Research and Creative Production Committee (October 2019–March 2020), and Social Science Research Council and Wenner-Gren Foundation (October 2020–March 2021). Ethics Office approval number HRE2019-0806.

Decoding the Weaponizing of Pop Culture on WhatsApp in Singapore and Malaysia
2019–Present
Project page>>

Including feeder projects:

• Meme Factories and (Counter-)Misinformation Programming in the Age of COVID-19
• COVID-19 Misinformation on WhatsApp in Singapore

This project is a collaboration between researchers from five universities across Australia, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom, and is funded by the Facebook Integrity Foundational Research Award (USA), January–December 2019. Ethics Office approval number HRE2019-0275.

The Influencer industry in Singapore and beyond
2007–Present
Project page forthcoming>>

Including feeder projects:

• Sexuality education via social media programming
• Childhood, celebrity, and commerce on social media

This project began as several pilot studies throughout my undergraduate education in Sociology and Gender Studies at the National University of Singapore, including an Honours Thesis (August 2007–July 2011). Thereafter, it was developed into a coherent project as a PhD thesis in Anthropology & Sociology, Communication & Media Studies that was partially funded by the University of Western Australia, August 2011–August 2015. Following this, the project was independently extended and expanded with several industry partners in Southeast Asia and is still ongoing as a longitudinal study of the Influencer industry in this region.

A history of blogshops in Singapore and Southeast Asia
2007–Present
Project page forthcoming>>

This project began as a third year undergraduate research project in Interdisciplinary Gender Studies at the National University of Singapore, August 2009–July 2010. Thereafter, it was developed into a coherent project as an Honours thesis in Sociology at the National University of Singapore, August 2010–July 2011. Following this, the project was independently extended and expanded with several industry partners in Southeast Asia and is still ongoing as a longitudinal study of the blogshop industry in this region.

CONCLUDED

Social media Influencers in Swedish and Scandinavian fashion retail
2017–2019
Project page>>

This project is an individual grant hosted at the Media, Management, and Transformation Centre at Jönköping University, and is funded by Handelsrådets (Sweden), July 2017–June 2019.

Evaluating the Tangible and Intangible Heritage of Shopping Centres in Singapore
2017–2019
Project site>>

This project is a collaboration between researchers from four universities in Australia and Singapore, and is funded by the National Heritage Board (Singapore), March 2017–March 2019.

An oral history of punk cultures in Singapore
2017
Project page forthcoming>>

This project was a small individual grant for independent research, and was funded by The Substation (Singapore), April–July 2017.

Young people and digital grief etiquette
Concluded, 2016
Project page>>

This project was an exploratory study for independent research, and was partially funded by Edgeryders (Belgium), August–October 2016.

ON HIATUS

Young couples, aspirational homemaking, and wedding commodities in Singapore
2016–Present
Project page forthcoming>>

Mixed race persons and identity politics
2016–Present
Project page forthcoming>>

This page is under construction, last updated 25 November 2020.