Profile

Nayana

Nayana is a DPhil researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute, focussing research on purpose-built storytelling platforms in India and the evolving nature of online writing.

Her research examines how Indian women use these platforms, exploring voice, agency, and culture themes. She integrates ethnographic methods with literary practices, leveraging her background in English Literature.

Beyond her DPhil project, Nayana has participated in various projects addressing the Internet's and technology's societal impact. She is particularly passionate about advocating for marginalised voices online and in society. She has contributed to El País (in English), discussing platform responsibilities and impacts. Additionally, she co-hosts an award-winning podcast on Spotify, 'Skeptechs', with fellow DPhil Josh Cowls, which covers global tech news and technological abuses.

Nayana received a Minderoo-AI Challenge Grant to collaborate with a theatre company on the London production 'Move Fast and Break Things,' which examines the relationship between 'Big Tech,' big data, and harmful labour practices. Her co-authored works cover diverse topics, from misinformation affecting children for UNICEF to AI in the workplace to a digital privacy guide for migrant domestic workers in the UK.

She also teaches at the University of Oxford for the Stanford Programme and the Sarah Lawrence Programme, where she has developed and led courses on 'Social Dynamics of the Internet' and 'Gender and Technology.'

Areas of Expertise

Philosophy | Research interests: Postcolonial theory; gender online; digital colonialism; Internet geographies; narrative; race; storytelling; invisible labour.