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Associate Professor Jonathon Hutchinson
BComm (Hons) RMIT University, PhD ARC Center of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation, QUT
Chair of Discipline: Media and Communications
Associate Professor (Teaching and Research)
Discipline of Media and Communications
Associate Professor (Teaching and Research)
Discipline of Media and Communications
Phone
9351 2821
Address
A20 - John Woolley Building
The University of Sydney
Details
Member of Sydney Centre for Healthy Societies
Member of Sydney Southeast Asia Centre
Member of the Charles Perkins Centre
Websites
Dr Jonathon Hutchinson is the Chair of Discipline of Media and Communications at the University of Sydney. He is a Chief Investigator on the Australian Research Council LIEF projectThe International Digital Policy Observatory,and is also a Chief Investigator on the eSafety Commission Research project,Emerging online safety issues: co-creating social media education with young people.For 2023 and 2024, he holds the prestigious position of President of the Australian and New Zealand Communications Association and is the current Editor in Chief of the Policy & Internet Journal. His most recent book, Digital Intermediation: Unseen infrastructure for cultural production is available through Routledge.
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- Social media
- Public Service Media (PSM)
- Cultural intermediation
- Algorithms and automation in media
- Internet governance
- Digital ethnography
- Social media network analysis
Research Higher Degree Completions:
- Brittany Ferdinands, PhD, Exposure Economy (Assocaite Supervisors Dr Olga Boichak & Dr Mark Johnson)
- Ben Egliston, PhD, E-sport, spectatorship and technicity (Associate Supervisor with Professor Gerard Goggin and Dr Marcus Carter)
- Kyle Moore, PhD, Situating Play: An ethnography of locative play in urban environments (Associate Supervisor with Professor Gerard Goggin and Dr Marcus Carter)
- Agata Stepnik, Masters by Coursework, Algorithms as Culture: Active curation of news media on social platforms (Principle Supervisor)
- Rui Zhang, Masters by Coursework, Why do people with divergent cultural backgrounds bring a variety of understanding to the same representation of emojis within digital cultures? (Principle Supervisor)
- Jordan Meek, Masters by Coursework, An investigation into the way self-publishing audiobooks influence traditional publishing modes (Principle Supervisor)
- Jack Gow, Honours, Stop Laughing! This is serious: Media convergence, funding cuts and television comedy at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Principle Supervisor)
- Atia Rahim, Honours, Data is the New Black: Understanding the power of cultural production within the Australian fashion industry on Instagram (Principle Supervisor)
- Brittany Ferdinands, Honours, Drink the tea and look like me! A study on the monetisation of social media digital influence (Principle Supervisor)
Consultation Times:
Tuesday 1-3pm
- The International Digital Policy Observatory -This project aims to develop an International Digital Policy Observatory, which is the world’s first comprehensive database to track developments in digital/Internet regulation internationally. The facility will provide a unique means of fostering collaboration on research into the effectiveness of different approaches to regulation, and allow these researchers to provide insights to the ICT industry, policy-makers, and advocacy groups, through the real-time capturing and sharing of digital and internet policy initiatives across 50 countries. This will provide significant benefits in placing Australian at the forefront of regulatory best practice in the digital economy, by tracking policy initiatives in the global digital economy.
- Emerging online safety issues: co-creating social media education with young people -Working in collaboration with Youth Action and Student Edge, the project will engage young people and parents and carers in participatory research and co-design to develop, disseminate and evaluate evidence-based social media education resources focusing on key and emerging issues for safety online.
- Algorithmed Public Sphere - The postdoctoral research network Algorithmed Public Spheres at the Hans-Bredow-Institut for Media Research at the University of Hamburg sets out to study the relevance of algorithms for the constitution of the public sphere. We emphasize in particular the importance of algorithms for filtering, ranking and selecting media content and for structuring digital communication, in contrast to the use of predictive data analytics in areas such as healthcare, credit scoring and general business analytics, where such tech techniques have a long tradition. How are media and communication in particular impacted by transferring the dominant logics of consumption from other industries to news, information and public discourse?
- Digital Intermediation: A Study of Automated Media Influencers - This project examines the content production process of automated media systems that engage digital influencers, or leading social media users, who interact with extraordinarily large and commercially oriented audiences. The evidence base will assist in developing theory on contemporary digital media and society, which will consequently shape how communities access public information. Instead of harnessing this knowledge for commercial imperatives, this research project will examine the findings in the context of socially aware digital influencers who occupy similar roles to those found in traditional media organisations. Further, this project will examine how algorithms are making decisions for media consumers based on commercial executions, which are often void of the social awareness associated with public affairs and issues.
- Media Pluralism and Online News - The project charts dramatic developments in the way news is produced and consumed online and to account for this in public policy designed to promote media pluralism. It expects to advance knowledge by testing European approaches regarded in the literature as ‘world’s best’ against a series of innovative news practices, including through a big data approach to collecting media content. Expected outcomes include a shift in public policy reliance on ownership and control to a more nuanced understanding of diversity based on the role of news and comment. Significant social and economic benefits could result from more targeted regulatory interventions and from greater access to news content and wider engagement with public affairs.
- International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR)
- Association of Internet Research (AoIR)
- Australian and New Zealand Communication Association (ANZCA)
- International Association of Public Media Research (IAPMR)
- International Communication Association (ICA)
- 2023 ARC LIEF Grant recipient
- 2021 eSafety Online Safety Grant recipient
- Grant Noble Prize for Best Postgraduate Student Paper, ANZCA, Perth, July, 2013
- QUT Creative Industries Faculty Award to attend the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) Summer Doctoral Program (Highest ranked HDR student), 2012
- Vice Chancellor’s List Award RMIT, 2010
| Project title | Research student |
|---|---|
| The Transformation of K-drama Production: From Broadcasting to Digital Streaming | Jungeun JI |
| Political Astroturfing and Its Effect on Political Preference: A Case Study on Indonesia's Election | Mili LIMILIA |
| Community in the Age of Machine Culture | Venessa PAECH |
| How platformisation has changed the book publishing industry in Australia | Doris PRODANOVIC |
| A National Approach to Housing Reform - Can Private Investment Structures Effectively Address Affordable Housing Challenges in Australia? | Bridget SOUL |
| Understanding ‘popular’ content: exploring the intersection of production, intermediation, and audiences practices on TikTok | Tian WEN |
Selected publications
Digital Intermediation: Unseen Infrastructure for Cultural Production
(Routledge, 2023)
Cultural Intermediaries: Audience Participation in Media Organisations
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2017)
Publications
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Books
- Hutchinson, J., Suwana, F., McTernan, C. (2024). Social Media in Society. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Hutchinson, J. (2023). Digital Intermediation: Unseen Infrastructure for Cultural Production. London: Routledge. [More Information]
- Hutchinson, J. (2017). Cultural Intermediaries: Audience Participation in Media Organisations. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. [More Information]
Book Chapters
- Hutchinson, J., Dwyer, T., Wilding, D. (2023). Automation, News and Social Media Pluralism. In Media Pluralism (Eds.), Media Pluralism and Online News: The Consequences of Automated Curation for Society, (pp. 118-142). Bristol, UK: Intellect. [More Information]
- Dwyer, T., Hutchinson, J. (2023). Researching Online News Media Diversities in China and South Korea. In Media Pluralism (Eds.), Media Pluralism and Online News: The Consequences of Automated Curation for Society, (pp. 143-178). Bristol, UK: Intellect. [More Information]
- Hutchinson, J., Dwyer, T. (2022). How Instagram and YouTube Users Share News: Algorithms, Monetization and Visibility on Social Media. In Jose Maria Alvarez-Monzoncillo (Eds.), The Dynamics of Influencer Marketing: A Multidisciplinary Approach, (pp. 123-142). London: Routledge. [More Information]
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Journals
- Humphry, J., Hutchinson, J., Boichak, O. (2025). Social digital dilemmas: Young people's and parents' negotiation of emerging online safety issues. New Media and Society. [More Information]
- Burgess, J., Bartolo, L., Gray, J., Hutchinson, J., Kaye, D., Matamoros-Fernandez, A., Pappalardo, K., Wikstrom, P. (2024). 'Diversity' as multidisciplinary keyword for the politics of cultural recommender systems in global digital media platforms. International Journal of Cultural Studies. [More Information]
- Gray, J., Hutchinson, J., Stilinovic, M., Tjahja, N. (2024). The pursuit of 'good' Internet policy. Policy and Internet, 16(3), 480-484. [More Information]
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Edited Journals
- Hutchinson, J., Goggin, G. (2018). Special Issue: 'Beyond access, towards engagement: social media's paradox'. Media International Australia, 168(1). [More Information]
- Hutchinson, J. (2016). Special Issue. Communication Research and Practice, 2(1). [More Information]
Conferences
- Goggin, G., Dwyer, T., Martin, F., Hutchinson, J. (2013). Mobile Internet's 'Creative Destruction': Implications for Global Mobile Policy, International Association for Communication Researchers. Crises, 'Creative Destruction' and the Global Power and Communication Orders, Dublin City University: International Association for Media and Communication Research.
Film / Video
- Humphry, J., Hutchinson, J., Boichak, O., Munro, K., Cundy, T. (2023). Youth Online Safety Resources. VDOD, Sydney, Australia: Youth Online Safety. [More Information]
Magazine / Newspaper Articles
- Humphry, J., Page Jeffery, C., Hutchinson, J., Boichak, O. (2024). Age verification for social media would impact all of us. We asked parents and kids if they actually want it. The Conversation. [More Information]
Report
- Flew, T., Humphry, J., Gray, J., Hutchinson, J., Page Jeffery, C., Johnson, M., McKee, A., Nicholls, R. (2024). Submission to the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society. [More Information]
- Flew, T., Chesher, C., Hutchinson, J., Stilinovic, M., Bailo, F., Gray, J., Lumby, C., Stepnik, A., Goggin, G., Humphry, J. (2023). Safe and Responsible AI in Australia: Submission Paper: University of Sydney. [More Information]
- Hutchinson, J., Humphry, J., Boichak, O. (2021). Online Privacy Bill: Exposure Draft - Submission to the Attorney General's Department. [More Information]
Other
- Hutchinson, J. (2020), SSSHARC - Jonathon Hutchinson: The digital first personality. Podcast. [More Information]
- Humphry, J., Sadowski, J., Hynes, D., Dreher, T., Jing Zhao, E., Ford, H., Hutchinson, J., Andrejevic, M. (2019), Data Futures E4: Justice (25/05/2020). [More Information]
Research Reports
- Humphry, J., Boichak, O., Hutchinson, J. (2023). Emerging Online Safety Issues: Co-creating social media with young people, Australia. [More Information]
- Hutchinson, J. (2014). Technology Types: Defining six characteristics Synonymous with technological devices, (pp. 7 - 25). Sydney, Australia: Digital Dialect Consultancy.
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2025
- Humphry, J., Hutchinson, J., Boichak, O. (2025). Social digital dilemmas: Young people's and parents' negotiation of emerging online safety issues. New Media and Society. [More Information]
2024
- Burgess, J., Bartolo, L., Gray, J., Hutchinson, J., Kaye, D., Matamoros-Fernandez, A., Pappalardo, K., Wikstrom, P. (2024). 'Diversity' as multidisciplinary keyword for the politics of cultural recommender systems in global digital media platforms. International Journal of Cultural Studies. [More Information]
- Humphry, J., Page Jeffery, C., Hutchinson, J., Boichak, O. (2024). Age verification for social media would impact all of us. We asked parents and kids if they actually want it. The Conversation. [More Information]
- Hutchinson, J., Suwana, F., McTernan, C. (2024). Social Media in Society. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.
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2023
- Hutchinson, J., Dwyer, T., Wilding, D. (2023). Automation, News and Social Media Pluralism. In Media Pluralism (Eds.), Media Pluralism and Online News: The Consequences of Automated Curation for Society, (pp. 118-142). Bristol, UK: Intellect. [More Information]
- Van Der Nagel, E., Hutchinson, J., Abidin, C., Kaye, D. (2023). Black summer on TikTok and ABC news: Shaping cultural identity during an Australian bushfire crisis. Convergence. [More Information]
- Maras, S., Nolan, D., Goggin, G., Fitch, K., Bossio, D., Hutchinson, J., Brookes, S., Freeman, J. (2023). Communication research and teaching: The Australian Communication Association at 40 years. Media International Australia, 189(1), 74-88. [More Information]
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2022
- Dwyer, T., Deng, J., Wu, Y., Hutchinson, J. (2022). Advancing Media Pluralism Policies and Research: Innovations in Computational Monitoring of News Diversity in China. Global Journal of Media Studies, 9(5), 31-43.
- Hutchinson, J., Dwyer, T. (2022). How Instagram and YouTube Users Share News: Algorithms, Monetization and Visibility on Social Media. In Jose Maria Alvarez-Monzoncillo (Eds.), The Dynamics of Influencer Marketing: A Multidisciplinary Approach, (pp. 123-142). London: Routledge. [More Information]
- Le, V., Hutchinson, J. (2022). Regulating social media and influencers within Vietnam. Policy and Internet, 14(3), 558-573. [More Information]
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2021
- Hutchinson, J. (2021). Blocked by YouTube? Unseen digital intermediaries for social imaginaries in the Asia Pacific. Media International Australia, 181(1), 7-20. [More Information]
- Hutchinson, J., Sorensen, J. (2021). Can Automated Strategies Work for PSM in a Network Society? Engaging Digital Intermediation for Informed Citizenry. In Miguel Tunez Lopez, Francisco Campos Freire and Marta Rodriguez-Castro (Eds.), The Values of Public Service Media in the Internet Society, (pp. 59-75). Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. [More Information]
- Hutchinson, J., Stilinovic, M. (2021). Editorial: Scholarly research and user-centred policy design. Policy and Internet, 13(4), 458-463. [More Information]
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2020
- Hutchinson, J. (2020). Digital first personality: Automation and influence within evolving media ecologies. Convergence, 26(5-6), 1284-1300. [More Information]
- Hutchinson, J. (2020), SSSHARC - Jonathon Hutchinson: The digital first personality. Podcast. [More Information]
- Luka, M., Hutchinson, J. (2020). Trust in the system: an introduction to the AoIR2019 special issue. Information, Communication and Society, 23(6), 794-801. [More Information]
2019
- Humphry, J., Sadowski, J., Hynes, D., Dreher, T., Jing Zhao, E., Ford, H., Hutchinson, J., Andrejevic, M. (2019), Data Futures E4: Justice (25/05/2020). [More Information]
- Martin, F., Hutchinson, J. (2019). Deep Data: Analyzing Power and Influence in Social Media Networks. In Not known (Eds.), Second International Handbook of Internet Research, (pp. 857-877). TBC. [More Information]
- Ford, H., Hutchinson, J. (2019). Newsbots That Mediate Journalist and Audience Relationships. Digital Journalism, 7(8), 1013-1031. [More Information]
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2018
- Hutchinson, J., Sorensen, J. (2018). Algorithms and Public Service Media. In Gregory Ferrell Lowe, Hilde Van den Bulck, Karen Donders (Eds.), Public Service Media in the Networked Society: RIPE@2017, (pp. 91-106). Gothenburg: Nordicom. [More Information]
- Hutchinson, J., Goggin, G. (2018). Beyond access, towards engagement: social media's paradox. Media International Australia, 168(1), 16-18. [More Information]
- Dwyer, T., Shim, Y., Lee, H., Hutchinson, J. (2018). Comparing Digital Media Industries in South Korea and Australia: The Case of Netflix Take-Up. International Journal of Communication, 12, 4553-4572. [More Information]
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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]
- Hutchinson, J. (2017). Cultural Intermediaries: Audience Participation in Media Organisations. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. [More Information]
- Hutchinson, J. (2017). Intermediaries exercising influence through algorithms within public service media. In Michal Glowacki, Alicja Jaskiernia (Eds.), Public Service Media Renewal: Adaptation to Digital Network Challenges, (pp. 117-134). Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang Publishing.
2016
- Hutchinson, J. (2016). An introduction to digital media research methods: how to research and the implications of new media data. Communication Research and Practice, 2(1), 1-6. [More Information]
- Hutchinson, J. (2016). Moving Convergence Culture towards Cultural Intermediation: Social Media and Cultural Inclusion. Continuum: A Journal of Media and Cultural Studies, 30(2), 158-170. [More Information]
- Hutchinson, J. (2016). Special Issue. Communication Research and Practice, 2(1). [More Information]
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2015
- Hutchinson, J. (2015). From fringe to formalisation: An experiment in fostering interactive public service media. Media International Australia, 155, 5-15. [More Information]
- Hutchinson, J. (2015). Public Service Media and Social TV: Bridging or Expanding Gaps in Participation? Media International Australia, 154, 89-100. [More Information]
- O'Donnell, P., Hutchinson, J. (2015). Pushback journalism: Twitter, user engagement and journalism students' responses to The Australian. Australian Journalism Review, 37(1), 105-120. [More Information]
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2014
- Hutchinson, J. (2014). Extending the Public Service Remit through ABC Pool. In Gregory Ferrell Lowe, Fiona Martin (Eds.), The Value of Public Service Media, (pp. 223-243). Gothenburg: Nordicom.
- Hutchinson, J. (2014). I Can Haz Likes: Cultural Intermediation to Facilitate "Petworking". M/C Journal, 17(2), 1-6.
- Hutchinson, J. (2014). Technology Types: Defining six characteristics Synonymous with technological devices, (pp. 7 - 25). Sydney, Australia: Digital Dialect Consultancy.
2013
- Hutchinson, J. (2013). Communication Models of Institutional Online Communities: The Role of the ABC Cultural Intermediary. Platform: Journal of Media and Communication, 5(1), 75-85.
- Goggin, G., Dwyer, T., Martin, F., Hutchinson, J. (2013). Mobile Internet's 'Creative Destruction': Implications for Global Mobile Policy, International Association for Communication Researchers. Crises, 'Creative Destruction' and the Global Power and Communication Orders, Dublin City University: International Association for Media and Communication Research.
- Hutchinson, J. (2013). The Cultural Impact of Institutional Remix: The Formalisation of Textual Reappropriation Within the ABC. M/C Journal, 16(4), 1-3.
2012
- Hutchinson, J. (2012). The Ethnographer as Community Manager: Language Translation and User Negotiation. Media International Australia, 145, 112-122. [More Information]
2010
- Hutchinson, J. (2010). Public Service Broadcasting, Creative Industries and Innovation Infrastructure: The Case of 'ABC's Pool'. Australian Journal of Communication, 37(3), 15-32. [More Information]
Selected Grants
2025
- Vietnam Media Innovation Hub, Hutchinson J, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/FASS and the Sydney Vietnam Institute Collaboration
2024
- Australian Experiences of Algorithmic Culture on TikTok, Gray J, Hutchinson J, Australian Research Council (ARC)/Discovery Projects (DP)
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In the media
Jonathan is often called on for comment regarding digital and social media, and is a contributor for The Conversation. A full list of opinion pieces and interviews can be found here.
- 25/11/2024 - quoted in Peninsular Living Pittwater (print version): Stop the Snap, youth told
- 13/11/2024 - quoted on BankInfoSecurity.com: Australia on Track to Ban Social Media Access for Minors
- 30/09/2024 - mentioned on The Lismore App:International and domestic experts confirmed for NSW Social Media Summit
- 19/09/2024 - interviewed on ABC Riverland AM about Instagram introducing ‘teen accounts’
- 16/09/2024 - research quoted in The Courier(Ballarat): Regional Australians facing a wave of social media misinformation
- 16/09/2024 - research quoted in The Courier(Ballarat): 'A rite of passage': how the gambling industry baits young Australians
- 25/08/2024 - quoted on ABC News Online: From influencers to Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, why we care about break-ups of people we don't know
- 27/05/2024 - article from The Conversation republished on Bounty: Age verification for social media: Aussie families weigh in on the debate
- 27/05/2024 - article from The Conversation republished on The Australia Today: Age verification for social media would impact all of us
- 22/05/2024 - article from The Conversation republished on Johansen: Age verification for social media would impact all of us. We asked parents and kids if they actually want it
- 14/05/2024 - quoted on ABC Northern Tasmania "Nightlife with Philip Clark" regarding the challenges in enforcing online safety regulations
- 19/02/2024 - quoted in The New Daily: Less political content to be displayed on Meta platforms
- 24/02/2023 - interviewed in the Daily Mail: Facebook, Instagram roll out paid subscription in Australia, New Zealand
- 16/12/2022 - quoted in BBC News: TikTok tests landscape videos in major shake-up
- 01/11/2022 - interviewed on ABC triple j's "Hack":'Elon Musk's rocky first week at Twitter'
- 19/10/2022 - interviewed in The Age: What’s the point of kicking Kanye West off social media?
- 18/09/2022 - quoted in WA today: Hollywood and nepotism have been synonymous for decades. So why the current backlash?
- 12/05/2022 - interviewed on ABC RN Drive Johnny Depp and Amber Heard: Trial by TikTok?
- 09/05/2021 - live guest on ABC triple j "Hack": Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's trial by TikTok
- 27/04/2022 - quoted in ABC Online article How relevant is Twitter to most people?
- 17/02/2022 - quoted on ABC News A replication of what happens in real life
- 09/11/2021 - live guest on ABC triple j 'Hack': Can we all buy electric cars now?
