Stephanie Alice Baker

Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker serves as Deputy Head of the Department of Sociology and Criminology at City St George's, University of London, where she holds the position of Reader. She earned her PhD from the University of Western Sydney in 2010 and a BA (Hons. 1st Class) from the University of Sydney in 2006. Prior to her current position, she held academic appointments at Goldsmiths University of London, University of Greenwich, and research positions at Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay and several Australian universities.

Her research focuses on health and wellness cultures, particularly how influencers establish trust, intimacy and authority online. She has published extensively on the self-help and wellness industry, including the books Lifestyle Gurus: constructing authority and influence online (Polity, 2019) and Wellness Culture: how the wellness movement has been used to empower, profit and misinform (Emerald, 2022). Her current research examines the role of new media technologies in amplifying false, misleading and harmful content online, with particular attention to the connections between wellness culture and conspiracy theories.

Dr. Baker's recent publications reveal a consistent trajectory exploring how wellness culture has become a gateway to misinformation, conspiracy theories, and far-right extremism. Her work demonstrates how influencers weaponize wellness discourse to promote anti-vaccine messaging, conspiracy theories, and radical political views, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her research employs cultural sociology frameworks to understand the appeal of 'truther' narratives and the structural conditions that facilitate belief in conspiracy theories.

• Emerald Literati Network Award for Excellence (2013)
• Outstanding Paper Award Winner European Association for Sociology of Sport (2011)
• Young Researcher's Award Australian Federal Government (2010)
• Endeavour Research Award University of Western Sydney (2008)
• Postgraduate Research Award (full PhD scholarship) University of Sydney (2007)

Dr. Baker has advised numerous government bodies, providing evidence to UK Parliament committees on influencer culture and misinformation. She has collaborated with international organizations including the World Health Organization and has been consulted by the UK Cabinet Office's Open Innovation Team on AI and mis/disinformation. Her media presence is significant, with appearances in BBC, The Guardian, New York Times, and co-creation of the podcast series Twenty-first Century Cults.