about

biography

Kia ora!

I’m Rachel (she/her), a digital culture enthusiast from Aotearoa New Zealand, currently based in Perth, Western Australia.

In 2021, I began my PhD in Internet Studies at Curtin University, exploring the fascinating phenomenon of virtual influencers.

I completed my Masters in Media, Film and Television with 1st Class Honours at the University of Auckland in 2017. My MA thesis examined works of fiction authored for social media, focusing on the distributed narratives of literary adaptation web series like The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and Nothing Much to Do. 

I have a wide array of research interests, including social media, celebrity, intimacy, gender, participatory culture, reality television, fan and film studies. I have presented at several academic conferences across the UK, Europe and Australia, and my research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Gender Studies, Screen and Convergence. 

Outside of academia, I spent four years working as a digital media specialist at a leading advertising agency, contributing to multiple award-winning campaigns, and developing skills across digital implementation, strategy, and account management. 

When not writing, I can found (re-)watching rom-coms, dancing, or endlessly scrolling online. Feel free to drop by and say hi!