Dr Lei Hao

Dr. Lei Hao earned his Ph.D. in Media and Communications from Goldsmiths, University of London. He engages in interdisciplinary scholarship at the intersection of cultural and media studies, ethnic minority studies, and platform studies. His research interrogates how media technologies influences the construction of identities. Specifically, his work examines how media, culture, and technologies have emerged as sites for the production and reproduction of hegemonic power, and investigates how agents, institutions, and communities negotiate meaning and assert agency within these evolving spaces.

 He is the author of the monograph "Minzu as Technology: Ethnic Identity and Social Media in Post-2000s China," which offers a critical examination of how technological dynamics of social media affect the materialization of ethnic identities.

Dr. Hao is currently collaborating with Professor Yat Ming Loo on his second book project, "Cultural Memory in the Digital Era." This upcoming book delves into the burgeoning role of the attention economy inherent in social media platforms, exploring the discourse of visibility. It particularly focuses on how these elements reshape and represent the historical architectural narrative of Dalian, investigating the ways digital platforms influence cultural memory and identity representation.

Dr Hao serves as an academic journal reviewer for the academic journals of New Media and Society, International Journal of Cultural Studies, and Global Media and China. 

• Impact of Social Media on Minority Groups
• Ethnic Minority Film and Visual Culture
• Ethnic Minority Identity in China
• Platform Studies
• Critical Algorithm Studies

Expertise Summary

Lei’s expertise lies at the intersection of digital media and cultural identity, concentrating on how social media platforms, streaming services, and algorithmic systems influence the experiences of minority communities. His research includes examining the cultural and social effects of platforms such as iQiyi and Douyin on identity formation among ethnic minorities in China, as well as analyzing the broader cultural dynamics of digital platforms. In addition, he investigates the socio-political implications of algorithmic processes, particularly in relation to film, streaming media, and other networked audiovisual content. Through this critical engagement, Lei’s work interrogates how digital infrastructures, content delivery mechanisms, and platform governance practices influence cultural production, community dynamics, and the everyday realities of marginalized groups.

Undergraduate 2024-2025:

• INCM1032: Communication and Technology 
• BA Dissertation supervision

Postgraduate 2024-2025:

• INCM4038  Media and Communication Research Methods 1
• MA Dissertation supervision
• PhD Supervision