Dr Hannah Ditchfield

PhD

Department of Sociological Studies

Research Associate

(She/her)

Hannah Ditchfield
Profile picture of Hannah Ditchfield
hannah.ditchfield@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 6419

Full contact details

Dr Hannah Ditchfield
Department of Sociological Studies
The Wave
2 Whitham Road
Sheffield
S10 2AH
Profile

Hannah joined the department of Sociological Studies in October 2018 as a University Teacher in Digital Media and Society and is now working as a Research Associate on Living with Data. Hannah completed her PhD in Media and Communication at the University of Leicester in 2018 where she also worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant between 2013-2017. 

She completed both her MA and BSc at Loughborough University, UK.
 

Research interests

Hannah’s research interests centre on the use and impact of digital media technologies in everyday life. Her PhD (found here) explored online interaction on Facebook specifically focusing on how social media users utilised the affordances of the platform within their everyday talk. She used screen capture technology to record users screens whilst they were online to capture how they edited their messages before sending them to their audience as well as how they managed and negotiated holding multiple conversations at once. This work theoretically drew on Goffman and methodologically on from conversation analysis and highlighted the significance of studying the ‘behind the screen’ spaces of the online world.

Hannah is now working on ‘Living With Data: knowledge, experiences and perceptions of data practice’: a research project funded by The Nuffield Foundation which runs from September 2019 to December 2021. The project aims to understand people’s knowledge, experiences and perceptions of specific data practices in the public sector and explore what they think constitutes fair data practices. 

Hannah’s research interests include: 

  • The study of online interaction 
  • Digital identity and the presentation of self 
  • Datafication of everyday life 
  • Digital research ethics 
     
Publications

Journal articles

Chapters

  • Ditchfield H & Lunt P (2020) Re-configuring synchronicity and sequentiality in online interaction: Multicommuniciation on Facebook messenger In Kaun A, Pentzold C & Lohmeier C (Ed.), Making Time for Digital Lives: Beyond Chronotopia London: Rowman & Littlefield. RIS download Bibtex download

Reports

  • Kennedy H, Taylor M, Oman S, Bates J, Medina Perea I, Ditchfield H & Pinney E (2021) Living with Data survey report RIS download Bibtex download
Teaching activities

Since 2018 Hannah has contributed and led several modules on both the Digital Media and Society and Sociology programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Hannah enjoys integrating her own research into her teaching to give students the most cutting edge examples and perspectives. She places great significance on helping students gain transferable academic skills to apply across their programme and places emphasis on the importance of the pastoral care of the student cohort. She has supervised a number of UG and PG students to successfully complete their dissertation projects. 
Hannah has led and/or taught on:

  • Digital Identities 
  • Social Media, Data and Society 
  • Dissertation in Digital Media and Society 
  • Sociology of the Media 
  • Perspectives in Digital Media and Society 
  • Academic Skills and Literacy 
  • Introduction to Digital Methods

Whilst in her research associate post (20/21), she will be guest lecturing on:

  • Digital Identities 
  • Social Media, Data and Society
  • Sociologies of the Everyday