I am a PhD Candidate in the School of Political and Social Inquiry at Monash University. My research looks at social media use by young adults with a focus on the relationship dynamic between social media and social practices. More specifically, my PhD takes a techno-historical look at friendship and social networks, and asks the question: What does friendship look like in the age of Facebook (and is it really that different from previous understandings)? My Honours thesis explored attachment theory in the context of social networking sites.
I co-teach the subject ATS3748 Digital Selves under the moniker Loisanna Zeplin. ATS3748 Digital Selves is taught on the Behavioural Studies Island, an island in Second Life established especially for the Digital Selves program. Each week, students and teaching staff come together for an ‘in world’ seminar to discuss the week’s lecture material, experiment with virtual identity, explore personal and professional virtual interaction, debate theoretical issues and experience the digital life in all its variety.
I also currently volunteer in social media at a Non-Profit organisation. I create Facebook advertisements tailored to specific marketing campaigns and online audiences, and analyse and prepare reports on the effectiveness of our social media advertisements and campaigns. I am also currently drafting a social media policy for the organisation for both work and personal use.
