Associate ProfessorToija Cinque

My research centres on innovating the emergent field I have defined as Dark Social Studies—a critical and interdisciplinary space focused on the hidden, affective/affective, and often opaque dimensions of emerging digital media and technologies. This field interrogates how dark or invisible social currents—those operating through encrypted platforms, algorithmic systems, and intimate digital spaces—can be harnessed for pro-social change. My work bridges theory and praxis, using a techno-cultural lens to explore the entanglements of digital life with issues of power, identity, and equity. Through this agenda, my collaborations span three interconnected domains: (1) Communication and Technology Studies, where I examine AI, platformisation, and data ethics; (2) Ethnic and Migration Studies, where I foreground media's role in diasporic memory and digital belonging; and (3) Media Studies, where I analyse media culture’s shaping of identity, influence, and digital intimacy. Together, these areas allow me to lead and shape a research program that is both critically reflexive and globally responsive—committed to reimagining how media and communication can support inclusive, socially just futures.

My affiliations are:

• Internet Society Online Safety SIG 
• Australian & Aotearoa New Zealand Communication Association (AANZCA)
• Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR)
• ACM SIG CHI Melbourne Chapter

I am interested in supervising postgraduate projects related to these areas.