Thomas Waitz

Associate Professor Dr. Thomas Waitz is a tenure-track professor of media cultural studies at the Institute for Theatre, Film and Media Studies at the University of Vienna. His work critically explores intersections of media aesthetics, capitalism, class society, and climate crisis through cultural theory frameworks.

• Education: Studied film/TV studies and German philology at Ruhr University Bochum, earned PhD from Goethe University Frankfurt in 2013

Research Themes examine:

• Politics of media representation in late capitalism
• Class production mechanisms through television
• Neoliberal self-technologies in digital culture
• Climate crisis through media studies lens
• Paradoxes of boredom and procrastination
• Infrastructure of academic labor and publishing

Academic Leadership includes:

• Senior scientist at University of Vienna
• Visiting professorships at HBK Braunschweig and University of Vienna
• Editorial roles in Journal of Media Studies and co-editor of 6 major publications

Key Publications span 2014 monograph Images of Transport to 2024 work on digital self-regulation. His research engages with:

• Algorithmic cultures
• Surveillance capitalism
• Media archaeology
• Urban media spaces
• Platform labor
• Body politics

Awards & Memberships:

• Liaison Lecturer, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation
• Board member, Society for Media Studies
• Peer reviewer for ZfM, nachdemfilm.de, and Digital Culture & Society