Kimberly Hassel

Kimberly Hassel serves as Assistant Professor of Japanese Studies at Duke University, specializing in digital sociality and smartphone culture within contemporary Japanese society. Her research examines how digital technologies mediate evolving concepts of selfhood and social interaction, with particular emphasis on youth demographics and gender dynamics.

Dr. Hassel's scholarly work bridges digital anthropology and Japanese cultural studies through innovative ethnographic approaches. Her dissertation 'Mediating Me' investigates Japan's mobile communication evolution from 1990s pioneering status through the 2011 Triple Disaster and Reiwa era, culminating in pandemic-era digital mediation. Methodologically, she integrates interview data, media analysis, and ethnographic vignettes ('Mediations') to reveal how demographic factors like life stage and crisis experiences shape platform usage across diverse groups including schoolgirls and Black Japanese youth activists.

During doctoral studies, Dr. Hassel was advised by Professor Amy Borovoy. Current information indicates no active student advising roles or external grant funding, though her dissertation contributes significantly to transnational digital network analysis and digital ethnographic methodology development.