Dr Naomi Smith | UniSC | University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Naomi is a digital sociologist working across a variety of areas. Her research focuses on how web-based technologies are part of our social world and are intertwined with our lived experience. Her current research projects examine intersection of health and wellness practices and new technologies, including social media. She has also published on the ways in which online communities mediate our experience of the body. She is also interested in the ways in which physical spaces are co-produced with digital technologies.

Naomi has published widely and has co-edited journal special issues (Conspiracy, M/C) and is co-editing a forthcoming edited collection Researching Contemporary Wellness Cultures (Emerald). She has been featured at an expert commentator on anti-vaccination sentiment and other conspiracy theories in a range of national and international publications.

Naomi’s research interests can be slotted into the following categories:

• Space, place and governance
• Social media and embodied practices; including wellness cultures
• Misinformation and conspiracy cultures

Naomi received her PhD in Sociology from the University of Queensland in 2015. Her researched examined the role of Facebook in adult’s friendship practices.