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Dr Michael Saker

Reader

School of Policy & Global Affairs Department of Sociology and Criminology

Contact details

Address

Dr Michael Saker
City St George's, University of London
Northampton Square
London EC1V 0HB
United Kingdom

Personal links

About

Overview

Michael is a Reader in Digital Sociology and Societal Change. His research explores digital cultures and society along two sociological lines of inquiry. First, he examines the physical, spatial and social consequences of emerging mobile technologies in urban environments. He is particularly interested in the role digital devices and data might play in place-making practices, perceptions of urban space, work, and family life. Second, he examines the continuing digitisation of everyday life and the effect this might be having on extant social inequalities. As a corollary to this, he is interested in the digital data people produce, the political implications of this process, and how the ongoing transformation of life into data might lead to new methodological ways of examining the emergent effects of digital media. Broadly speaking, then, Michael's research revolves around digital cultures, digital data, and the datafication of society. Importantly, these interests coalesce around his scholarly career as a sociologist.

Michael is the Associate Editor of the journal Information, Communication & Society.

He is also a member of the Niantic x RIT Geo Games and Media Research Lab, a Convenor for the British Sociological Associations (BSA) Digital Sociology Study Group, and a Visiting Research Fellow at the Web Science Institute at the University of Southampton.

Qualifications

  • PGCLTHE, Southampton Solent University, Southampton, United Kingdom, Oct 2017
  • PhD (fully-funded), University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom, Oct 2017 – Nov 2014
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Higher Education Academy, York, United Kingdom, Mar 2014
  • MA Media and Cultural Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom, Oct 2004 – Oct 2005
  • BA (Hons) Media Culture and Communication, University of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom, Sep 2001 – Jul 2004

Employment

  • Senior Lecturer, Southampton Solent University, Southampton, Sep 2015 – Aug 2017
  • Lecturer, Southampton Solent University, Southampton, Sep 2014 – Aug 2015

Publications

Publications by category

Books (4)

  • Frith, J. and Saker, M. (2022). The Changing Face of VR: Pushing the Boundaries of Experience Across Multiple Industries. Vernon Press. ISBN 978-1-64889-474-9.
  • Evans, L., Frith, J. and Saker, M. (2022). From Microverse to Metaverse Modelling the Future through Today’s Virtual Worlds. Emerald Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-80455-022-9.
  • Saker, M. and Evans, L. (2021). Intergenerational Locative Play Augmenting Family. Emerald Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-83909-140-7.
  • Evans, L. and Saker, M. (2017). Location-Based Social Media. Springer International Publishing. ISBN 978-3-319-49471-5.

Chapters (6)

  • Frith, J. and Saker, M. (2022). Introduction: The winding road of Virtual Reality (VR) development. The changing face of VR: Pushing the boundaries of experience across multiple industries (pp. 1–14). Vernon Press. ISBN 978-1-64889-474-9.
  • Parker, E. and Saker, M. (2022). Exploring the phenomenology of VR-based exhibits in art museums. The changing face of VR: Pushing the boundaries of experience across multiple industries (pp. 159–172). Vernon Press. ISBN 978-1-64889-474-9.
  • Wang, Y., Papangelis, K., Saker, M., Lykourentzou, I., Khan, V.-.J., Chamberlain, A. … Grudin, J. (2021). An Examination of the Work Practices of Crowdfarms. (pp. 1–14). ACM.
  • Saker, M. and Evans, L. (2020). Personalising the Urban: A Critical Account of Locative Media and the Digital Inscription of Place. Springer Series in Adaptive Environments (pp. 39–55). Springer International Publishing. ISBN 978-3-030-06236-1.
  • Saker, M. (2018). Mobile virtual realities and portable magic circles. Mobile Story Making in an Age of Smartphones (pp. 97–105).
  • Saker, M. (2018). Mobile Virtual Realities and Portable Magic Circles. Mobile Story Making in an Age of Smartphones (pp. 97–105). Springer International Publishing. ISBN 978-3-319-76794-9.

Conference papers and proceedings (12)

  • Luna, S.M., Xu, J., Papangelis, K., Tigwell, G.W., Lalone, N., Saker, M. … Wang, Y. (2024). Communication, Collaboration, and Coordination in a Co-located Shared Augmented Reality Game: Perspectives From Deaf and Hard of Hearing People. CHI '24: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. doi:10.1145/3613904.3642953
  • Xu, J., Papangelis, K., Tigwell, G.W., Lalone, N., Zhou, P., Saker, M. … Schwartz, D. (2024). Spatial Computing: Defining the Vision for the Future. CHI '24: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. doi:10.1145/3613905.3643978
  • Dunham, J., Papangelis, K., Boulanger, C., Lalone, N., Nika, E.L., Saker, M. … Schwartz, D. (2023). Building Positively Affective Location-Based Advertising: A Study of Pokémon GO Players. CHI '23: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. doi:10.1145/3544548.3580939
  • Xu, J., Papangelis, K., Dunham, J., Boulanger, C., Lee, J.H., Lalone, N. … Saker, M. (2023). Understanding Social Interactions in Location-based Games as Hybrid Spaces: Coordination and Collaboration in Raiding in Pokémon GO. CHI '23: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. doi:10.1145/3544548.3581544
  • Wang, Y., Papangelis, K., Lykourentzou, I., Saker, M., Chamberlain, A., Khan, V.-.J. … Yue, Y. (2023). Tasks of a Different Color: How Crowdsourcing Practices Differ per Complex Task Type and Why This Matters. CHI '23: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. doi:10.1145/3544548.3581418
  • Saker, M. and Evans, L. (2020). Pokémon Go and Parental Play: Emerging forms of Joint media engagement. MeCCSA Annual Conference 2020 Media Interactions and Environments 8-10 January, University of Brighton.
  • Papangelis, K., Saker, M., Lee, J.H. and Jones, C. (2020). Smart Cities at Play: Lived Experiences, Emerging Forms of Playfulness, and Problems of Participation. CHI '20: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. doi:10.1145/3334480.3375146
  • Saker, M. and Frith, J. (2019). Emerging norms in social VR: An empirical analysis of Facebook Spaces. 69th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference 24-28 May.
  • Saker, M. and Evans, L. (2019). Pokémon Go and Parental Play: Emerging forms of Joint media engagement. BSA Annual Conference, Challenging Social Hierarchies and Inequalities, Glasgow Caledonian University 24-26 April.
  • Saker, M. and Frith, J. (2018). Mobile Virtual Reality and Hybrid Presence: Emerging Forms of Separate Space. BSA Annual Conference, Identity, Community and Social Solidarity 10-12 April, Northumbria University, UK.
  • Saker, (2017). The personal and public impact of Pokémon Go: contextualising ‘novelty’ within the broader canon of locative media. BSA Annual Conference 2017, Recovering the Social: Personal Troubles and Public Issues 4-6 April, University of Manchester.
  • Saker, (2017). Ridesharing and restricted mobilities: Using computational social science to examine collaborative mobilities and their impact on experiences of place. MeCCSA Annual Conference 2017, ‘Culture, Media, Equality and Freedom’ 11-13 January, University of Leeds.

Journal articles (23)

Report

Thesis/dissertation

  • Saker, Smartphones and Pervasive Play: An Examination of the Effect Foursquare has on Physical, Spatial and Social Practices. (PhD)