Research Training
Digital Cultures and Societies is committed to developing and providing digital research training opportunities for staff and students. To find out more contact us at digitalcultures@hass.uq.edu.au.
2023 Winter Research Program
Engage in a formal research project with the UQ Winter Research Program over the winter semester.
The UQ Winter Research Program provides UQ students with an opportunity to gain experience working alongside a researcher in a formal research environment in their area of interest at UQ.
Applications for the 2023 Winter Research Program open Monday 20 March. Applications close on 16 April.
The program will run for four (4) weeks between 26 June - 21 July.
Available projects with Digital Cultures and Societies in 2023:
On target: Exploring how health-focused dark ads operate on Facebook
| Project Title | On target: Exploring how health-focused dark ads operate on Facebook |
| Project duration, hours of engagement & delivery mode | The research project will be conducted over 4 weeks from 26 June to 21 July 2023 for 30-36hrs per week. The student will meet for weekly face-to-face meetings with the supervisor and will be able to be co-located with the supervisor at the Digital Cultures and Societies Hub. The student will be included in everyday activities and events at the Hub. The project can also be completed under a remote working arrangement in accordance with an accessibility or COVID requirements. |
| Description | Over the last decade big data and machine learning technologies have shaped the way online advertising operates. As part of this shift, advertisers are able to go beyond demographic information to target consumers using layers of data about consumers’ individual behaviour and characteristics. Researchers are beginning to shed light on how these ‘dark ads’ operate across distinct domains. In this winter research project, the student will analyse advertisements from the Australian Ad Observatory – a collection of over 600,000 ads Australians have seen on Facebook – a research initiative of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society. There are two projects available, focused on:
This project aims to: 1. Describe who is being targeted by ‘dark ads’ 2. Analyse how advertisements construct an imagined consumer and use rhetorical strategies to persuade the consumer Approach The student will conduct a qualitative content analysis using a coding framework. The student will follow the following process: familiarise themselves with the dataset of ads, draft a short literature review, develop research question/s that will evolve throughout the research process, develop a criterion of inclusion for a subset of ads based on thematic or structural factors, iteratively code the subset of data, and develop findings. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables | The student will gain:
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| Suitable for | This project is open to applications from students who are 2nd year or above. The project would suit students studying communication, media, advertising and related fields. |
| Primary Supervisor | Dr Giselle Newton, Postdoctoral Research Fellow |
| Further info | To discuss the project or ask questions, please contact Dr Giselle Newton giselle.newton@uq.edu.au |
Online labour re-intermediation: virtual assistants
| Project Title | Online labour re-intermediation: virtual assistants |
| Project duration, hours of engagement & delivery mode | The research project will be conducted over 4 weeks from 26 June to 21 July 2023 for 30-36hrs per week. The student will meet for weekly face-to-face meetings with the supervisor and will be able to be co-located with the supervisor at the Digital Cultures and Societies Hub. The student will be included in everyday activities and events at the Hub. The project can also be completed under a remote working arrangement in accordance with an accessibility or COVID requirements. |
| Description | This project is part of studying the “future of work” paradigm in which we currently operate. As more businesses and individuals work online, transnational online labour connections are occurring both on and off on-demand labour platforms. In this study, the student will help design the research project, including background research and initial literature review, as well as designing the semi-structured interview questionnaires. The student will participate in the process of participant recruitment via online platforms such as Freelancer.com, Upwork, Fiverr, and Facebook groups.' Approach The student will conduct a qualitative analysis of interview transcripts. The student will follow the following process: co-produce interview questionnaires, recruit participants, and co-conduct interviews, eventually doing interviews on their own. They will have time for initial data analysis of initial findings. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables | The student will gain:
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| Suitable for | This project is open to applications from students who are 2nd year or above. The project would suit students studying communication, sociology, East Asia Studies, or cultural anthropology. Preference is given to fluent speakers of Tagalog. |
| Primary Supervisor | Dr Andrea Alarcon, Postdoctoral Research Fellow |
| Further Info | To discuss the project or ask questions, please contact Andrea Alarcon a.alarcon@uq.edu.au |