Tony D Sampson

Dr. Tony D. Sampson is reader in digital communication based in EBS at the University of Essex. His publications include The Spam Book, coedited with Jussi Parikka (Hampton Press, 2009), Virality: Contagion Theory in the Age of Networks (University of Minnesota Press, 2012), The Assemblage Brain: Sense Making in Neuroculture (University of Minnesota Press, 2017), and Affect and Social Media (Rowman and Littlefield, 2018). His latest book, A Sleepwalker's Guide to Social Media, was published by Polity in 2020.

He is currently writing a critical theory book on the pervasive influence of UX design thinking on the entire trajectory of contemporary life, from birth, school, work, and death. The book is provisionally titled, The Struggle for [USER] Experience.

Tony was the organizer of the Affect and Social Media annual conferences in East London between 2014-2022.
He currently welcomes MPhil/PhD applicants interested in a wide range of digital communication related problems, including critical perspectives on digital design labour/practices, digital design industry dynamics, UX and HCI theory and practice, emerging technologies (AI, immersive, XR etc.), digital aesthetics, perception, affect theory and cognitive/neuro/affective/emotional labour.

Tony is also a co-founder of the Cultural Engine Research Group (CERG) based in Essex and East London. CERG work across-disciplines, directly with communities, local authorities, charities, not-for-profit organisations, and students, on projects relating to Place, Pride, and Community (particularly in relation to Levelling-Up narratives and policy), Tourism and Heritage, Public Realm, Digital Cultures and Smart Cities, Creative Industries, Education, Public Health, and Food Cultures.

As part of CERG’s remit, Tony also welcomes MPhil/PhD applicants interested in a wide range of community-based project work, together with critical theory research into concepts such as pride-in-place, levelling up, and community wealth building.