Thomas A Wright

Department of Sociological Studies

PhD Student

A photo of Tom Wright
Profile picture of A photo of Tom Wright
tawright3@sheffield.ac.uk

Full contact details

Thomas A Wright
Department of Sociological Studies
The Wave
2 Whitham Road
Sheffield
S10 2AH
Profile

I joined the Department of Sociological Studies at the University of Sheffield in 2022. Before moving to Sheffield, I lived, worked and studied in Leeds for eight years, completing my MA in Critical and Cultural Theory within the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds in 2021.

Research interests

My thesis investigates emergent collectivised engagements with algorithmic technologies in the cultural industries. I am interested in exploring how nascent practices of collective engagement might be used to better understand attitudes towards algorithmic technologies in society. Moreover, I am especially interested in exploring how practices of collective engagement might help contribute to a broader and more holistic understanding of what constitutes resistance, both as a practice and as a theoretical concept in itself. My work is necessarily qualitative as such, and draws upon documentary analysis and interviews to collect data from a wide range of participants. 

This work is entirely AHRC funded through White Rose College of Arts and Humanities (WRoCAH). 

Main research interests:

  • science and technology studies
  • critical data studies 
  • algorithm studies 
  • social theory 
  • cultural theory
  • digital methods
Research group

I am co-supervised by Dr Eva Haifa Giraud and Dr Harrison Smith.

 am member of research and reading groups from across the department, including Social Theory Reading Group (STRG) and Science, Technology and Medicine in Society (STeMIS). 

Grants
  • AHRC open competition doctoral scholarship – October 2022
  • WRoCAH large award – DMCCS Summer School 2023 – June 2023
  • WRoCAH large award – AoIR Annual Conference 2023 – October 2023
Teaching activities

MA Digital Media and Society, module SCS6089 The Digital Self.

Professional activities and memberships
  • Member of the Association of Internet Researchers (2022 -) 
  • Member of Media, Communication, and Cultural Studies Association (2022 - )