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Languages, Linguistics and Film

Professor Nelya Koteyko , MA, PhD

Nelya

Professor of Language and Communication

Email: n.koteyko@qmul.ac.uk
Room Number: 2.37, Francis Bancroft

Profile

Research interests:  digital identity, anthropology of autism and autistic sociality, linguistic ethnography,  illness narratives, media representations of science and medicine

The program of research I have developed draws on sociocultural linguistics and media studies to examine and theorise the relationship between media discourse and social identities. This includes a focus on the linguistic mechanisms underlying the media and policy framing of issues of public concern in terms of health risks, stigma, and trustworthiness.

I am also interested in developing methodologies that take into account an interactional construction of digital identities. This research lies at the intersection of several disciplines such as applied linguistics, visual studies, human computer interaction design, and social psychology. Understanding the interplay between creative, user-led actions, social norms, and technological affordances is important for informing the strategies to foster inclusive digital environments and my two recent projects have focused on autism and social media.

 The ESRC-funded project Autistic Adults Online was a collaboration between linguists, human computer interaction designers, and autistic community aimed at improving autistic experiences of social media interactions. The ongoing Autism in Affinity Spaces project funded by the Wellcome Trust Discovery Award is another example of participatory research with autistic users of social media. It examines how autistic young people use language and other semiotic resources in social media groups related to their focused interests (e.g. art, comics, cosplay) and will develop creative methods to explore how they experience such interactions.                                   

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