Mission Statement
In an algorithmic age, we must rediscover human value. Algorithms can predict our clicks or hold artificial conversations, but they cannot feel our longings, pains, and joys. In social sciences, we need to rethink the value of thick data and human-centric approaches. Global Media Ethnography Lab (GMEL) serves as a hub to explore how people create, circulate, and experience media across diverse cultural, technological, and geopolitical contexts. GMEL exists to ensure that as communication speeds up, we do not lose sight of the human scale – the stories, the silences, and the messy, unquantifiable lived experiences that define who we are.
Research Clusters
Our research focuses on the following four interconnected clusters:
- Technology & Everyday Life
- Media & Gender
- Diaspora & Belongings
- Ethnographic Methods & Writing
What We Do
GMEL is committed to fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment. We combine ethnographic inquiry with interdisciplinary approaches to understand contemporary media worlds and their social impacts. GMEL highlights nuanced understanding of media histories, everyday practices, personal voices, cultural meanings, and ambivalent emotions in communicative processes.
To foster a vibrant intellectual community, GMEL hosts a series of knowledge mobilization initiatives. We have a regular GMEL online talk series. The inaugural talk series for 2026-2028 is titled “Rediscovering the Value of Thick Data and Ethnographic Approaches in the Age of AI.” Stay tuned for more information.
Besides the talk series, GMEL will set up a digital archive to share pedagogical and reading resources on ethnography and communication studies, feature a student-led podcast series, and host research/writing sessions for different research groups. This integrated approach ensures that GMEL functions not only as a research site but as a catalyst for professional development and pedagogical excellence.
