About
Robert Payne is Professor and Department Chair of Communication, Media and Culture at The American University of Paris, where he has worked since 2008. Previously taught at Australian universities, his research focuses on queer theory applications in media studies, digital networks, and affective dimensions of media infrastructure.
- PhD and BA from University of Sydney
- Specializes in queer digital culture
- Author of two monographs
- International research on media materialities
His work examines digital media's affective dimensions, including viral circulation, social media intimacy, and material infrastructures shaping queer encounters. Co-edited special issues on 'Citizenship and queer critique' (2012) and 'Panic' (2008), with publications analyzing topics from Abu Ghraib photo circulation to blue-collar masculinity in digital spaces. Current research investigates everyday media materialities through infrastructure studies and affect theory.
