New PostDoc Researchers at MEDIT: Christian Ritter

I am a social anthropologist and media researcher interested in contemporary mobilities, digital labor, and the socio-technical shaping of internet technologies. I received a PhD from Ulster University, UK, and a master’s degree from Albert Ludwigs University in Freiburg, Germany. Before I joined MEDIT, I acted as a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer in the department of social anthropology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. My research in Norway explored the expertise practices required to develop business intelligence software for the global oil and gas industry. I furthermore worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Istanbul Studies Center, Kadir Has University, where I examined how digital media practices reshaped the life-worlds of members of the Moroccan diaspora in Istanbul. 

My current research project Gamification and Audio-visual Media in the Estonian Tourism Industry, which I will start at MEDIT in January 2019, contributes to unraveling cross-innovations between audio-visual industries and tourism actors. Assessing the role of location based augmented reality apps in tourists’ experience, the research seeks to gain a better understanding of the various cooperations Estonian tourism organizations recently established with the gaming industry. Gamification is a new cross-innovation trend in tourism. The ubiquitous use of mobile devices in everyday life facilitates the implementation of game elements in tourism contexts. The Estonian tourism industry and audio-visual industries partner up to develop augmented reality apps while enhancing the experience of tourist attractions in unprecedented ways. Anchored in a mixed methods approach, I combine an ethnographic immersion in local tourist sites and qualitative in-depth interviews with insights from data visualization tools, such as Gephi and Tableau. In doing so, I am planning to integrate the strengths of an in-depth investigation with cutting-edge tools for retrieving data from digital media platforms. 

I look forward to researching audio-visual innovations in the Estonian tourism industry at Tallinn University! MEDIT has fascinated me for a long time because of its commitment to comprehensively assess digital culture. My research project at MEDIT provides me with a great opportunity to extend lines of inquiry from my previous research projects in a new context. I am also excited about working at MEDIT since it brings together media researcher from different disciplinary backgrounds and established a unique space for transdisciplinary research on internet and media technologies.