The Oxford Internet Institute (OII) at the University of Oxford has appointed Dr Robert Prey to the role of Associate Professor in Digital Culture.
Dr Prey – who also becomes a Research Fellow at Green Templeton College – will engage in advanced research and teaching on global digital culture and creative labour. In his work, he studies the social and cultural implications of algorithmic recommendation systems, as well as how these systems mediate cultural taste and consumption.
As Principal Investigator on a European Research Council-funded project “The Platformization of Music: Towards a Global Theory” (2023-2028), Dr Prey and his team investigate how streaming and social media platforms influence the creative practices, identities, and working conditions of musicians in the Netherlands, Nigeria and South Korea. Specifically, his current focus is the creative labour of musicians as they adapt to online platforms.
Dr Vicki Nash, Director, Associate Professor and Senior Policy Fellow, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford said, “I’m delighted to appoint Robert Prey as Associate Professor in Digital Culture at the OII. He brings with him a wealth of experience in the study of streaming and social media platforms, topical digital technologies ripe for further disruption and change. He will add great methodological expertise in studying algorithmic recommendation systems, particularly in the context of technology, music and culture. We look forward to welcoming him to the department.”
Dr Robert Prey, Associate Professor of Digital Culture, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford said: “I am very excited to join the esteemed faculty at the Oxford Internet Institute. The OII is a leading global authority in debates on important contemporary issues. I’m looking forward to contributing through teaching, mentorship and research in the areas of global digital culture and creative labour.”
He joins from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, where he was Assistant Professor at the Centre for Media and Journalism Studies. He complete his PhD at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada.
Professor Giuseppe De Giacomo, Governing Body Fellow, Green Templeton College and Professor of Computer Science, University of Oxford, commented:
“We are delighted to welcome Professor Robert Prey as a Research Fellow at Green Templeton. As an Associate Professor in Digital Culture, his expertise will bring a valuable humanistic perspective to the rapidly evolving area of digital technologies and its societal impact. We are pleased to have him join our academic community and are confident that his contributions will significantly enhance both the college and the university as a whole. I am particularly pleased that he will now call Oxford home.”
Dr Prey will take up his post at the OII in October 2024.
For more information please contact: Sara Spinks / Veena McCoole, Media and Communications Manager, Oxford Internet Institute. T: 01865 287237 or press@oii.ox.ac.uk
About the OII
The Oxford Internet Institute (OII) is a multidisciplinary research and teaching department of the University of Oxford, dedicated to the social science of the Internet. Drawing from many different disciplines, the OII works to understand how individual and collective behaviour online shapes our social, economic and political world. Since its founding in 2001, research from the OII has had a significant impact on policy debate, formulation and implementation around the globe, as well as a secondary impact on people’s wellbeing, safety and understanding. Drawing on many different disciplines, the OII takes a combined approach to tackling society’s big questions, with the aim of positively shaping the development of the digital world for the public good. https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/
About the University of Oxford
Oxford University has been placed number one in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the seventh year running, and number two in the QS World Rankings 2022. At the heart of this success are the twin-pillars of our ground-breaking research and innovation and our distinctive educational offer. Oxford is world-famous for research and teaching excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe.
