Associate Professor Aim Sinpeng
Aim is Associate Professor in Comparative Politics in the Discipline of Government and International Relations. She is currently a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA)fellow for her project on 'Cyber Repression and Political Protests in Thailand.' Her research interests centre on the relationships between digital media and political participation in Southeast Asia. She is particularly interested in the issues of social media campaigning, disinformation, online harassment and AI bias. Aim won the FASS Early Career Research Excellence Award in 2022.
- Comparative Democratisation and Authoritarianism
- Digital Media and Politics
- Social Movements
- Southeast Asian Politics
- Internet Governance
- GOVT 2119 - Southeast Asian Politics
- GOVT 3901 – Digital Politics
- GOVT 3980 – Democracy and Dictatorship
- GOVT 6101 – Political Regimes and Regime Transition
- Online Activism in Authoritarian States
- Political Participation Online in Southeast Asia
- Information Operations and Foreign Interferences in Australia and the Asia Pacific
- Hate Speech and Trolling on Social Media in Southeast Asia
American Political Science Association (APSA)
Association of Asian Studies (AAS)
Australian Political Science Association (APSA)
Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR)
Australian Association of Asian Studies (ASAA)
Sydney Southeast Asia Centre (SSEAC)
China Studies Centre (CSC)
2022 Early Career Book Prize, Asian Studies Association of Australia
2022 FASS Early Career Reseah Excellence Award, University of Sydney
2021 Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) Fellowship, Australian Research Council
2019 Equity Prize (Brown Fellowship), the University of Sydney
2018 Emerging Female Leader at the University of Sydney
2018 Visiting Scholar, Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies, University of Michigan
2017 Excellence in Teaching Award, Faculty of Arts and Social Science, University of Sydney
2016 Co-Founder, Sydney Cyber Security Network
2015 Associate Faculty Member, Sydney Democracy Network
2015 Associate Faculty Member, Centre for International Security Studies (CISS)
2014 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Postdoctoral Fellowship
2014 Young Southeast Asian Fellow, Southeast Asian Research Group (SEAREG)
| Project title | Research student |
|---|---|
| Are Indonesia’s Political Parties Becoming More Moderate | Luky Sandra AMALIA |
| The Role of Fact Brokers in Debunking Fake News: Analyzing Social Media Networks and Cessation of Misinformation. | Akkaranai KWANYOU |
| Political Astroturfing and Its Effect on Political Preference: A Case Study on Indonesia's Election | Mili LIMILIA |
| Rebuilding Hegemony: State Responses to Fake News in Thailand | Itsakul UNAHAKATE |
| Mapping Religious Activism in Politics: Divergent Spatial Strategies in Singapore and Philippines | Alicia WANG |
Selected publications
(ISEAS Publishing - Yusof Ishak Institute, 2021)
(University of Michigan Press, 2021)
Publications
Books
- Sinpeng, A. (2021). Opposing Democracy in the Digital Age: The Yellow Shirts in Thailand. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. [More Information]
Edited Books
- Sinpeng, A., Tapsell, R. (2021). From Grassroots Activism to Disinformation: Social Media in Southeast Asia. Singapore: ISEAS Publishing - Yusof Ishak Institute. [More Information]
Book Chapters
- Vong, M., Sinpeng, A. (2021). Cambodia: From Democratization of Information to Disinformation. In Aim Sinpeng, Ross Tapsell (Eds.), From Grassroots Activism to Disinformation: Social Media in Southeast Asia, (pp. 126-144). Singapore: ISEAS Publishing - Yusof Ishak Institute. [More Information]
- Sinpeng, A., Tapsell, R. (2021). From Grassroots Activism to Disinformation: Social Media Trends in Southeast Asia. In Aim Sinpeng, Ross Tapsell (Eds.), From Grassroots Activism to Disinformation: Social Media in Southeast Asia, (pp. 1-18). Singapore: ISEAS Publishing - Yusof Ishak Institute. [More Information]
- Sinpeng, A. (2020). From the Yellow Shirts to the Whistle Rebels: Comparative Analysis of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC). In Pavin Chachavalpongpun (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Thailand, (pp. 145-155). Abingdon: Routledge (Taylor and Francis). [More Information]
Journals
- Ford, M., Sinpeng, A. (2024). Beyond Workplace-related Issues: How Global Unions Use Digital Activism to Engage in Social Agenda-setting. Global Networks, 25(1). [More Information]
- Sinpeng, A. (2024). Social Media and the DIY Politics in Thailand’s 2023 Election. Pacific Affairs, 97(1), 99-116. [More Information]
- Sinpeng, A. (2022). Crowdsourcing dictatorship in Thailand. Asian Journal of Comparative Politics. [More Information]
Conferences
- Sinpeng, A. (2015). Online discourse analysis of the anti-election movement in Thailand. American Political Science Association, San Francisco: APSA.
- Sinpeng, A. (2015). Peace and Security in a Quantum Age. The Q Symposium, Sydney: The Q Symposium.
- Sinpeng, A. (2015). The Anti-Democratizing Effects of Online Political Participation: The Case of Thailand. Internet Policy Workshop, Victoria: Swinburne University of Technology.
Magazine / Newspaper Articles
- Martin, F., Sinpeng, A. (2021). Facebook's failure to pay attention to non-English languages is allowing hate speech to flourish. The Conversation. [More Information]
Report
- Ford, M., Sinpeng, A. (2021). Harnessing Digital Tools for Effective Social Transformation and Engagement in Asia and the Pacific.
- Sinpeng, A. (2014). Prolonging Crisis through Election in Thailand.
- Sinpeng, A. (2014). Thailand Focus: the Failure of Democracy and the Victory’s of People’s Power?.
Research Reports
- Sinpeng, A., Martin, F., Gelber, K., Shields, K. (2021). Facebook: Regulating Hate Speech in the Asia Pacific, (pp. 1 - 47). Sydney, Australia, Australia: The University of Sydney. [More Information]
2024
- Ford, M., Sinpeng, A. (2024). Beyond Workplace-related Issues: How Global Unions Use Digital Activism to Engage in Social Agenda-setting. Global Networks, 25(1). [More Information]
- Sinpeng, A. (2024). Social Media and the DIY Politics in Thailand’s 2023 Election. Pacific Affairs, 97(1), 99-116. [More Information]
2022
- Sinpeng, A. (2022). Crowdsourcing dictatorship in Thailand. Asian Journal of Comparative Politics. [More Information]
- Ford, M., Sinpeng, A. (2022). Digital Activism As A Pathway To Trade Union Revitalization. International Journal of Labour Research, 11(1-2), 47-58. [More Information]
- Sinpeng, A., Koh, Y. (2022). Journalism in the Age of Digital Autocracy: A Comparative ASEAN Perspective. Journal of ASEAN Studies, 10(2), 247-262. [More Information]
2021
- Vong, M., Sinpeng, A. (2021). Cambodia: From Democratization of Information to Disinformation. In Aim Sinpeng, Ross Tapsell (Eds.), From Grassroots Activism to Disinformation: Social Media in Southeast Asia, (pp. 126-144). Singapore: ISEAS Publishing - Yusof Ishak Institute. [More Information]
- Martin, F., Sinpeng, A. (2021). Facebook's failure to pay attention to non-English languages is allowing hate speech to flourish. The Conversation. [More Information]
- Sinpeng, A., Martin, F., Gelber, K., Shields, K. (2021). Facebook: Regulating Hate Speech in the Asia Pacific, (pp. 1 - 47). Sydney, Australia, Australia: The University of Sydney. [More Information]
2020
- Sinpeng, A. (2020). Digital media, political authoritarianism, and Internet controls in Southeast Asia. Media, Culture and Society, 42(1), 25-39. [More Information]
- Sinpeng, A. (2020). From the Yellow Shirts to the Whistle Rebels: Comparative Analysis of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC). In Pavin Chachavalpongpun (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Thailand, (pp. 145-155). Abingdon: Routledge (Taylor and Francis). [More Information]
- Sinpeng, A., Gueorguiev, D., Arugay, A. (2020). Strong fans, weak campaigns: Social media and Duterte in the 2016 Philippine election. Journal of East Asian Studies, 20(3), 353-374. [More Information]
2019
- Sinpeng, A., Hemtanon, W. (2019). Change and Continuity in the Politics of the Media after the Coup. In Michael J Montesano, Terence Chong, Mark Heng (Eds.), After the Coup: The National Council for Peace and Order Era and the Future of Thailand, (pp. 254-281). Singapore: ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute. [More Information]
- Ricks, J., Ong, E., Scambary, J., Jacobs, R., Sinpeng, A., Soedirgo, J., Ravanilla, N. (2019). Democracy in Southeast Asia: A Year of Elections. Asian Politics & Policy, 11(4), 663-678. [More Information]
2018
- Groemping, M., Sinpeng, A. (2018). The "Crowd-factor" in connective action: comparing protest communication styles of Thai Facebook pages. Journal of Information Technology and Politics, 15(3), 197-214. [More Information]
- Arugay, A., Sinpeng, A. (2018). Varieties of Authoritarianism and the Limits of Democratization in Southeast Asia. In Alice D. Ba, Mark Beeson (Eds.), Contemporary Southeast Asia: The Politics of Change, Contestation, and Adaptation, (pp. 91-110). London: Palgrave.
2017
- Hutchinson, J., Martin, F., Sinpeng, A. (2017). Chasing ISIS: Network Power, Distributed Ethics and Responsible Social Media Research. In M. Zimmer and K. Kinder-Kurlanda (Eds.), Internet Research Ethics for the Social Age: New Challenges, Cases, and Contexts, (pp. 57-71). New York: Peter Lang Publishing. [More Information]
- Sinpeng, A. (2017). Participatory Inequality in Online and Offline Political Engagement in Thailand. Pacific Affairs, 90(2), 253-274. [More Information]
2015
- Sinpeng, A. (2015). Online discourse analysis of the anti-election movement in Thailand. American Political Science Association, San Francisco: APSA.
- Sinpeng, A. (2015). Peace and Security in a Quantum Age. The Q Symposium, Sydney: The Q Symposium.
- Nyblade, B., O'Mahoney, A., Sinpeng, A. (2015). Social Media Data and the Dynamics of Thai Protests. Asian Journal of Social Science, 43(5), 545-566. [More Information]
2014
- Sinpeng, A. (2014). After Snowden: Wither Internet Storm? Cyber Dialogue 2014, Toronto.
- Sinpeng, A. (2014). Corruption, Morality, and the Politics of Reform in Thailand. Asian Politics & Policy, 6(4), 523-538. [More Information]
- Sinpeng, A. (2014). Cyber Governance in the Global South. International Studies Association (ISA) 55th Annual Convention: Spaces and Places Geopolitics in an Era of Globalization, Toronto: Panellist.
2013
- Crete-Mishihata, M., Hilts, A., Poetranto, I., Ng, J., Senft, A., Sinpeng, A., Dalek, J., Hardy, S., Kleemola, K., Sonne, B., et al (2013). Asia Chats: Analyzing Information Controls and Privacy in Asian Messaging Applications.
- Sinpeng, A. (2013). Book review of "Development Professional in Northern Thailand: Hope, Politics and Practice" by Katherine McKinnon. Pacific Affairs, 86(3), 677-679.
- Sinpeng, A. (2013). Case Study: The Thai Netizen Network for Online Freedom.
2012
- Sinpeng, A. (2012). Book review of "East Asian Social Movements" by Jeffrey Broadbent and Vicky Brockman. Journal of East Asian Studies, 12(3), 467-469.
- Sinpeng, A. (2012). From Assembly to Streets: Contentious Politics in Thailand (1991 - 2010). Rian Thai: International Journal of Thai Studies, 4, 1-25.
- Sinpeng, A., Kuhonta, E. (2012). From the Street to the Ballot Box: the July 2011 Election and the Rise of Social Movements in Thailand. Contemporary Southeast Asia, 34(3), 389-415. [More Information]
2011
- Sinpeng, A. (2011). Book review of "The Changing Dynamics of Southeast Asian Politics" by Jorn Dosch. Journal of East Asian Studies, 11, 499-501.
- Sinpeng, A. (2011). From Assembly to Streets: Contentious Politics in Thailand (1991-2010). Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference (AAS), Honolulu: Presentation.
- Sinpeng, A. (2011). Party-Movement Linkages: The Case of Thailand (2005-2011). The 11th International Conference on Thai Studies (ICTS 2011), Bangkok: ICTS.
2010
- Sinpeng, A. (2010). Social Media and the Political Crisis in Thailand.
- Sinpeng, A. (2010). Thailand: The Battle of Colours.
2009
- Sinpeng, A. (2009). Balancing Non-Traditional Security and Human Rights: an ASEAN Experience. In Hoque, S. (Eds.), Geopolitics vs. global governance: Re-interpreting international security, (pp. 247-258). Halifax, NS: Center for Foreign Policy Studies.
Selected Grants
2024
- Integrating the Electrification and Smart Mechanisation of Two-Wheel Tractors, Sukkarieh S, Tan D, Cross R, Phillips S, Sinpeng A, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)/Crops Program
2022
- Cyber Repression and Political Protests in Thailand, Sinpeng A, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA)
- Cracking the Code: AI Gender Bias in South East Asia, Sinpeng A, Google Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd/Research Support
- Cracking the Code: AI Gender Bias in the Asia Pacific, Sinpeng A, Boichak O, Xu C, Chia Y, Ford M, DVC Research/Sustainable Development Goal collaboration program
Other Grants
SDG Collaboration Program - Cracking the Code: AI Gender Bias in the Asia Pacific, 2022
Public Engagement
"Information Operations on Twitter in Thailand," SSEAC Webinar Series, June 2021.
"Thailand Update," Asia Society, October 2020.
"Southeast Asian Governments' Responses to Covid-19," ASEAN Forum, Sydney Southeast Asia Centre, July 2020
"Southeast Asia's Post-Pandemic Landscape," University of Queensland, June 2020
"Human Security and the New Normal" Thompson River University, June 2020
"Privacy, Technology and Crisis Response: Case Studies from Australia, China, Hong Kong and Singapore." moderator, China Studies Centre, May 2020
"Trust, Platform and Political Engagement Online," Digital Asia, keynote speaker, Lund University, December 2019
"Human Rights and Research in Computational Social Science" Human Rights Workshop, University of Sydney, September 2019
"In Conversation with Jonathan Haidt," Sydney Policy Lab, July 2019
"Social Media Use during Southeast Asian Elections," Stratcom #AsiaPacific, May 2019
"Australia's Cybersecurity Future(s)," Australia Strategic Policy Institute, January 2019
"Facebook, Politics and Participation in the Philippines," speaker series, Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies, the University of Michigan, September 14, 2018.
"ASEAN-Australia Dialogue 2018," invited participant, PwC Sydney, March 12-13, 2018
"Australia-ASEAN Disruptive Series," speaker, Asia Society, March 12, 2018.
"Power, Diplomacy and Influence," UN Youth Speaker, NSW State Conference, March 24, 2018
"Thai Politics and Thai Identities," Roundtable discussant, Singapore Management University, January 12, 2018
"Disciplinary Champoins for Politics and Media", ASAA 2018 -Bi-Annual Conference, University of Sydney, July 5-8, 2018.
"Authoritarian Innovation in Southeast Asia," Workshop presenter, Giffith University, December 11-12, 2017.
"Women in Politics," panel moderator, ASEAN Forum 2017: Women in ASEAN, SSEAC, October 6, 2017
"Cyber 9/12 the Indo-Pacific Student Challenge," Sydney Cyber Security Network, September 28-29, 2017
"Internet, Politics and Democracy in Southeast Asia," Workshop co-convenore with Prof. Bridget Welsh, Chiang Mai University Faculty of Political Science, July 19, 2017
"Cyber Security in the Era of Open Government," Co-Convenor, Sydney Cyber Security Network, November 17-18, 2016
"Thailand in Comparative Perspective: An International Symposium," Symposium Convenor. University of Sydney, September 26-28, 2016.
"Policy Roundtables: Democratic Updates from Southeast Asia," Speaker on Thailand. Sydney Southeast Asia Research Centre, July 29, 2016.
"Getting an Academic Job," Speaker. Asian Studies Association of Australia Postgraduate Workshop, ASAA Conference 2016, Canberra, July 4-7, 2016.
"New Mandala @10," Corall Bell School of the Asia Pacific, ANU, June 16, 2016.
"Politics, Democracy and Stability in Southeast Asia: Exploring the Implications of the 2016 Philippines Election." Presenter. May 25, 2016. Event sponsored by SSEAC and Sydney Ideas.
"Innovative Teaching in Southeast Asia: Policy Roundtable." Speaker. Online Innovations. May 13, 2016. Sponsored by SSEAC.
In the media
"Unrests in Thailand ," Late Night Live with Philip Adams, the ABC, August 10, 2021
"Thailand and Malaysia New Parties Hope Discontent Will Boost Appeal," Nikkei Asia, 27 July 2021.
"Hate Speech on Facebook is Here to Stay," Quartz, 9 July 2021.
"Facebook's Failure to Pay Attention to Non-English Languages is Allowing Hate Speech to Flourish," The Conversation, July 4, 2021.
"The Dynamics of Social Media in Southeast Asia," The Diplomat, December 22, 2020
"Why Thai Students Use Rubber Ducks, Dinosaurs and Three-Finger Salute as Protest Symbols," ABC News, 23 November 2020.
"The New Tactics, Old Grievances in Thai Protests," East Asia Forum, September 8, 2020.
"The Social Media Minimalists," Thai Data Points, March 5, 2020
"Mobilizing the Orange Online Support," Thai Data Points, August 22, 2019
"Campaigning without Canvassers," Thai Data Points, June 19, 2019
"Anti-Fake News Bills and Facebook in the South Pacific," ABC Radio, June 2019
"Thailand's Election Analysis," The World, ABS News, March 20, 2019
"Thailand's Post Election Analysis" Al Jazeera, April 2019
"Pheu Thai Won the Facebook Election in Thailand," New Mandala, March 29, 2019
"Papua New Guinea's Proposed Facebook Ban is More About Control," Mashable, June 11, 2018
"Papua New Guinea Bans Facebook for a Month to Root Out Fake Users," The Guardian, May 29, 2018.
"Papua New Guinea Bans Facebook for a Month to Identify Fake Accounts," Tech Times, May 30, 2018.
"Facebook, Politics and Censorship in Thailand," SBS World News and SBS Thai, May 17, 2017
"Improving Political Engagement via Facebook in Thailand," Asia Pacific Memo, April 12, 2017
"Thai Referendum and Bombings," The World Weekly, August 8, 2016
"Thailand and the Referendum on the Constitution," CNBC, August 7, 2016
"Duterte and Democracy in Southeast Asia," Weekend Sunrise, May 31, 2016.
"How Duterte Won the Election on Facebook," New Mandala, May 12, 2016.
"The Challenges of Studying Politics in Myanmar," SSPS Review, Issue 3, 2016.
