Agata Stepnik

Agata Stepnik is a Research Fellow in Digital Communication at the University of Sydney's School of Arts and Social Sciences, affiliated with the Department of Media and Communications. She specializes in studying user agency within algorithmic systems, social media governance, and digital media economics. Her current projects include the ARC Laureate Fellowship 'Mediated Trust' led by Prof. Terry Flew and an ARC Discovery Grant exploring news valuation frameworks. She holds a PhD and has over a decade of industry experience in ICT and digital learning.

Research Interests

• Algorithms and Automation in Media
• Recommender System Design and User Interaction
• Platform Regulation and Internet Governance
• Social Media Ecosystem Dynamics
• News Production and Consumption Practices
• Generative AI and Data Literacy

Key Contributions

Her work bridges academic research with policy advocacy through submissions to government consultations on media assistance programs and AI governance. Recent publications analyze news audience behavior, digital ethnography methodologies, and regulatory frameworks for publisher-platform relationships in Australia and Canada.

Grants and Collaborations

• Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship (FL230100075): 2024-2028
• Australian Research Council Discovery Grant (DP220100589): 2022-2024
• Collaborative policy submissions on AI ethics and news sustainability

Laboratory and Teams

Works within the Digital Media Research Group at Sydney, collaborating with Prof. Terry Flew's team on platform regulation and media innovation studies.