DERC applies cutting edge ethnographic approaches to better understand how digital tech impacts our present lives and potential futures.

Our researchers work alongside students, communities, governmental or nonprofit agencies, and corporate partners to explore the creative possibilities of digital technologies as well as the social, economic, and political impacts. Our expertise ranges from studies of everyday lived experience, workplace and organizational analysis, policy and strategy analysis, design ethnography, co-design workshops, and creative collaborations with communities of practice.

Hosted by RMIT in Melbourne, Australia, DERC offers world class training ground for PhD students. Ranked as one of the top two research centres in Australia focused on the social impact of digital media, DERC welcomes visiting artists, activists, and scholars from around the world.

News

The Future of the Digital CBD

RMIT Research Centres the Blockchain Innovation Hub, Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation and the Digital Ethnography Research Centre have come together to...

News posted on November 30, 2021

DERCCHATS: Making Space for Indigenous Research

Join this lively and wide-ranging conversation, from Country to the academy, about what makes 'Indigenous knowledge' and where to next. Event date: Monday 6...

Events, News posted on November 16, 2021

Congratulations to Dr Ben Morgan

Ben Morgan’s PhD thesis was passed in October. The thesis - Music, Metrics, and Meaning: Australian Music Industries and Streaming Services – is a...

News posted on October 17, 2021

PhD Completion: Josh Nettheim

Congratulations to DERC's PhD Josh Nettheim who has successfully completed his PhD. Entitled “The Bruiteur: noise and listening in performance”, Josh received excellent examiner...

News posted on September 1, 2021

ARC Linkage Project Success!

We are very excited by the news that Anna Hickey-Moody and her colleagues have been funded for an ARC Linkage Project on the very...

News posted on August 5, 2021

image of speaker and title of talk

How Autoethnographic are you?

Annette Markham launches the 2021 Autoethnography PhD Summer School June 7, 2021, from 10:30-12:00 CET. Recording will be available on request

Events, News posted on June 3, 2021

Tweets

6 Jan

New publication alert! @DERC's @WilliamYanko investigated the leftist politics of Bandung (Indonesia) rappers in 2002. http://ow.ly/zJ5f50Ho7UF
#digitalethnography #DERCfam #DERCresearchers
@ResearchRMIT

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16 Dec

"A LARP is like an ad hoc network that is here one moment for a gathering, a community and a shared experience, and gone the next." http://ow.ly/Kz7c50HaX8r @kelsiemvn on crypto communities #digitalethnography #DERCresearchers #digitalanthropology

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14 Dec

Have you lost a pet recently? Did you share memories about your pet online? Did the online context help connect you to others and grieve? If these questions interest you, please check out: http://ow.ly/lJgT50Ha13p #digitalethnography @micronarrative @Palmer_Daniel @dcpecp @RMIT

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6 Dec

Anna Hickey-Moody will give a keynote at the EDURAD event on "Extremism andEducation." The webinar will run from 14:00-17:15 GMT/15:00-18:15 CET on the 8th of December 2021. Pre-registration is required via the link below: http://ow.ly/YAh150H3Pbi @annahm @ResearchRMIT #DERCfam

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3 Dec

Catch up on our key event from this week & listen to engaging discussion from our panel of experts incl Prof Tania Lewis available here https://youtu.be/E6o-zian6tU #digitalcbd #ethnography @blockchainRMIT @rmitccsri

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