Olivier Driessens

Olivier Driessens serves as Associate Professor in Media Studies within the Department of Communication at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Humanities. His research investigates societal transformations through technological mediation, with core expertise in mediatisation, celebritisation, and datafication, currently expanding into digital and green futures.

Education:

• Postgraduate Certificate in Education, Higher Education (Associate Level), London School of Economics and Political Science
• PhD, Communication Sciences, Ghent University
• MSc, Sociology, K.U.Leuven
• MSc, Communication Sciences, Ghent University

Research Focus: Driessens' work bridges media sociology and social theory to analyze how media logic reshapes cultural institutions. His recent scholarship critically examines technological solutionism, planetary costs of ICT, and the interplay between digital innovation and sustainability. Key contributions include co-editing Dynamics of Mediatization (Palgrave, 2017) and advancing frameworks for understanding celebrity-audience dynamics in digital environments.

Publication Trends: 2021-2025 outputs reveal escalating attention to sustainability crises within digital media studies, with generative AI policies and green solutionism emerging as urgent themes. His work consistently challenges narratives of perpetual disruption by highlighting cultural continuity amid technological change.

Scientific Awards: No specific awards or fellowships are documented in the source materials.

Mentorship: Driessens supervises BA/MA dissertations in media studies and actively recruits PhD candidates for research in mediatisation, datafication, and digital/green futures, reflecting his commitment to nurturing next-generation scholars.

Professional Engagement: He serves on the editorial board of Celebrity Studies and acts as book review co-editor for Communications: European Journal of Communication Research, while reviewing for over 15 leading journals including Communication Theory and Information, Communication & Society.