I recently completed my masters in Anthropology at Wesleyan University, where I conducted ethnographic research on the online social networking sites MySpace, Facebook, and Tribe.net. My virtual ethnography can be viewed or downloaded at The Virtual Campfire. In September, I will begin a Ph.D program in Communication at the University of California, San Diego.

Currently, I am interning as a research assistant for the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, working on two projects: with danah boyd, I'm finishing an interdisciplinary literature review on the issue of pro-self harm websites [eg; pro-eating disorder, pro-cutting, pro-suicide]; this past month, I began working on the Media Cloud project, a large-scale effort to organize the worldwide flow of news online and track the circulation of memes.

Other current research projects include research on the way members of the psytrance underground utilize the internet to facilitate local scenes and a global community, as well as exploring new ways of writing and conducting ethnography at the dawn of the cyberculture. I encourage those interested and engaged in this field to contribute to Webnographers Wiki, a compendium of resources pertaining to the field of virtual ethnography.

First smitten with the field of anthropology upon learning about bonobos (a breed of chimpanzee that literally makes love not war), I have found myself drawn toward theories of neotribalism, liminality, and proxemics (the study of the distance people feel is necessary to put between themselves and others). In my free time, I enjoy writing poetry, dancing, coffee-fueled conversation, creating ambience and cozy spaces, and taking care of canines. I am currently living in New York City.