Dr Lei Hao holds a PhD in Media and Communications from Goldsmiths, University of London. His research is situated at the intersection of cultural studies, media and communications, platform studies, and Chinese media studies. He examines how digital media technologies, platform infrastructures, and algorithmic systems shape identity formation, cultural visibility, and the representation of difference in contemporary China.

He is the author of Minzu as Technology: Ethnic Identity and Social Media in Post-2000s China. His research explores how platforms such as Douyin and iQiyi mediate cultural production, organise visibility, and influence the circulation of minority representation, streaming media, and visual culture.

His current work focuses on two main areas: the platformisation of Tibetan New Wave cinema, particularly the role of streaming platforms in shaping the visibility and framing of ethnic minority film; and digital cultural memory, with a focus on how platform logics and attention economies reshape the representation of urban history and place identity, especially in relation to Dalian.

He also serves as a reviewer for journals including New Media & Society, International Journal of Cultural Studies, and Global Media and China.

• Cultural studies
• Media and communications
• Platform studies
• Chinese media studies
• Social media and algorithmic culture
• Streaming media and platform governance
• Identity and subject formation
• Tibetan New Wave cinema and visual culture
• Digital cultural memory

Expertise Summary

Dr Hao’s expertise lies in the critical study of digital media, platform power, and cultural representation. He works across cultural theory and media analysis to examine how platforms govern visibility, organise attention, and mediate the formation of identity. His research offers particular expertise in the areas of social media in China, streaming platforms, algorithmic culture, minority representation, and the digital mediation of cultural memory

Undergraduate 2025-2026:

• INCM 1030 Communication and Culture
• INCM1032 Communication and Technology 
• INCM3033 BA International Communications Dissertation
• INCM3090 Intercultural Communication Competency 
• INCM2025 Understanding the Chinese Creative Industries 
• INCM2026 Reseraching Communications 1 
• BA Dissertation supervision

Postgraduate 2025-2026:

• INCM4039 Media and Communication Research Methods 2
• INCM4034  Media and Communication Theory
• MA Dissertation supervision
• PhD Supervision 

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