OLIVIA INWOOD
About Me

My name is Olivia Inwood and I am a PhD Candidate in the School of the Arts and Media, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia.
My research is broadly situated in the disciplines of linguistics and social media studies. I am researching how deceptive communication, mis/disinformation and moral panics are enacted on YouTube from an interpersonal perspective. I am particularly interested in developing analytical frameworks to understand:
- How and why communities align or dis-align with deceptive content online
- Linguistic patterns in the communication of users who share truthful versus fake content, and how this can be further developed by developing frameworks focused on the concepts of personae and affiliation
- How visual content (such as screenshots) is used to make deceptive content appear legitimate
I have presented my research in both academic and industry settings. Click here if you would like to know more about my forthcoming research articles. I really enjoy writing, closely analysing qualitative data, and thinking about how people respond to breaking news stories via social media platforms.
I also work as a Deputy Dean (UNSW Professional Staff role) at the residential college Fig Tree Hall UNSW. I help in the general management of the college, and provide pastoral and academic support to students. I care a lot about students and helping them achieve their goals.
Some interesting facts about myself:
- I grew up on a farm near Forbes NSW Australia and during my childhood my family experienced the 'Millennium Drought' one of Australia's worst droughts to date
- My Mum is Lithuanian and immigrated to Australia when she was 35 years old (I have a basic but not fluent understanding of the Lithuanian language)
- I also studied Visual Arts at university and during my undergraduate years had some of my creative work published in print and online magazines