Alex Leavitt. (2013). From #followfriday to YOLO: Exploring the Cultural Salience of Twitter Memes. In Katrin Weller, Axel Bruns, Jean Burgess, Merja Mahrt, & Cornelius Puschmann (Eds.), Twitter & Society. (Forthcoming) New York, NY: Peter Lang.
ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS:
BOOK REVIEWS
ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS:
ONLINE ARTICLES
WHITE PAPERS
[private 2]
2011
Alex Leavitt. Microsoft: Entertainment & Devices Division.
[private 1]
2011
Alex Leavitt. Microsoft: Entertainment & Devices Division.
"Watching with the World: Television Audiences and Online Social Networks"
2011
Alex Leavitt.
2010
Alex Leavitt, Tim Hwang. Web Ecology Project.
2009
Alex Leavitt. Web Ecology Project.
2009
Alex Leavitt, John Beilin, Matt Blake, Mac Cowell, Dave Fisher, Sam Gilbert, Russell Hanson, Tim Hwang, Greg Marra, Robert Mason, Colin McSwiggen, Dharmishta Rood, Aaron Shaw, Frank Tobia, Seth Woodworth. Web Ecology Project.
CONFERENCES, PANELS & PRESENTATIONS:
ACADEMIC, RESEARCH
InfoSocial: A Media, Technology, & Society Conference
2012
Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
Panelist
No Copyright Infringement Intended: Emergent Sociotechnical Behaviors in Networked Media Sharing
Objects of Knowledge (Lecture Series)
2012
Sidney Harman Academy for Polymathic Study, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Invited Lecturer
The Open-Source Girl Who Conquered the World
Summer Social Webshop
2012
University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Workshop Participant
International Communication Association
2012
Phoenix, AZ
Panelist
Jumping for Fun? Negotiating Mobility and the Geopolitics of Foursquare
Annenberg Research Symposium
2012
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Panelist
No Copyright Infringement Intended: A Symbolic Interactionist Approach to Networked Media Sharing
Local and Mobile: 3rd Joint International Conference of the Pan-American Mobilities Network
2012
University of North Carolina
Panelist
Participation!/Exploitation? Graduate Conference
2012
UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Panelist
She's Dying on YouTube: Vocaloid, Open-Source Culture, and the Save Miku Campaign
Digital Media & Learning Conference
2012
San Francisco, CA
Panelist & Moderator
Learning In & Around Game: Minecraft as Affinity Space
Internet Research 12
2011
Association of Internet Researchers Annual Conference; Seattle, WA
Panelist
How I Saved An Internet: Encyclopedia Dramatica & the Practical and Ethical Tensions of Backing Up
International Communication Association
2011
Boston, MA
Panelist (Pre-Conference Workshop: Placing the Aesthetic in Popular Culture: Quality, Value, and Beauty in Communication and Scholarship)
"Open-Source" Culture & the Cult of Hatsune Miku
Media in Transition 7
2011
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Panelist
Digital Culture in Transition: "Open-Source" Culture & the Cult of Hatsune Miku
Digital Media & Learning Conference: Designing Learning Futures
2011
Long Beach, California
Panelist & Moderator (Refereed Panel)
Playing with Fire: Learning in Niche Online Communities
humanities + digital Visual Interpretations Conference
2010
MIT, Cambridge, MA
Panelist
Popular Culture Association National Conference
2010
St. Louis, MO
Panelist
From Narrative to Character: Transmedia, Emotional Economies, and the Success of Neon Genesis Evangelion
Schoolgirls and Mobilesuits: Culture and Creation in Manga and Anime, Minneapolis College of Art and Design
2009
Minneapolis, MN
Panelist
Death to Narrative Structure! The Conflicting Relationship of Money & Vision in Neon Genesis Evangelion
Popular Culture Association National Conference
2009
New Orleans, LA
Panelist
Asian Popular Culture - Otaku: The (Un)popular Fandom
Harvard Program for Asian & International Relations
2009
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Panelist
Trends of Education in Asia
CONFERENCES, PANELS & PRESENTATIONS:
ACADEMIC, NON-RESEARCH
University of Southern California
2012
Graduate Student Government Academic Affairs Committee; University of Southern California
Invited Panelist
"Academic Branding" or Why Every Grad Student Should Have Their Own Website
CONFERENCES, PANELS & PRESENTATIONS:
INDUSTRY, RESEARCH
South by Southwest
2013
Austin, TX
Panelist & Moderator
The Open-Source Girl Who Conquered the World
South by Southwest
2013
Austin, TX
Panelist
Bots for Civic Engagement
Canadian Marketing Association Direct Marketing Conference
2012
Los Angeles, CA
Invited Keynote Speaker
It's a Bright Future If You're An Algorithm: The Future of Marketing is (Not) Data
TransmediaLA
2012
Los Angeles, CA
Lecturer
Anime Expo: 2012 Academic Symposium
2011
Los Angeles, CA
Panelist
Even a Monkey Can Understand Fan Activism: Political Speech, Artistic Expression, and the Public of the Japanese Dojin Community
South by Southwest
2012
Austin, TX
Speaker
The Open-Source Cult(ure) of Hatsune Miku
Microsoft Social Computing Symposium
2012
New York City, NY
Invited Workshop Participant & Lecturer
Minecon
2011
Las Vegas, NV
Panelist
Minecraft: Gaming & Education
Penny Arcade Expo: Prime
2011
Seattle, WA
Lecturer
Active Cultures
2011
Pacific Asia Museum; Pasadena, CA
Lecturer
The Cult of Hatsune Miku
Mindshare LA
2011
Los Angeles, CA
Lecturer
Social Disruption: How We Complicate Technology
Anime Expo: 2011 Academic Symposium
2011
Los Angeles, CA
Panelist
"Open-Source" Culture & the Cult of Hatsune Miku
Barcamp Boston 6
2011
Boston, MA
Lecturer
When Viral Went Viral: Social Media Norms & the Story of Minecraft
Penny Arcade Expo: East
2011
Boston, MA
Lecturer
The Hidden Value of Punching Trees: What Minecraft Reveals About Game Culture
Canadian Marketing Association Direct Marketing Conference
2010
Toronto, Canada
Lecturer
After Convergence Culture: The Producer-Consumer Wars in the Age of Social Media
MacLaren MCM MMU Conference
2010
Toronto, Canada
Lecturer
After Convergence Culture: The Producer-Consumer Wars in the Age of Social Media
2010 Future of News and Civic Media Conference
2010
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Panelist
Kids These Days: Youth and Online Communities
Open Video Conference
2010
New York University, New York, NY
Lecturer
When YouTube Killed the Downfall Meme
FLOW Conference
2010
UT Austin, Austin, TX
Panelist
What's Stopping the (Global) Flow of TV?
Pecha Kucha 18
2010
Boston, MA
Lecturer
BarCamp Boston 5
2010
Boston, MA
Lecturer
Euro Plus Cloud Minus Plane Equals Question Mark: How the Internet is Reacting to a Giant Volcano
The Next Big Issues in Social Media (As Told By ChatRoulette)
Penny Arcade Expo: East
2010
Boston, MA
Lecturer
Memes, Microcultures, and 2D Chicks: Our Future in the Otaku Gamer
Ignite Boston 6
2010
Boston, MA
Lecturer
Open Video Conference
2009
New York University, New York, NY
Lecturer
Anime Video Culture: The Case of Fansubs, Anime Music Videos, & Copyright
Podcamp Boston 4
2009
Boston, MA
Lecturer
How Did Social Technology Change Web Culture?
South by Southwest
2009
Austin, TX
Moderator & Panelist
CONFERENCES, PANELS & PRESENTATIONS:
FAN CONVENTIONS
Anime Expo
2012
Los Angeles, CA
Lecturer
Eromanga: The Good, the Bad, & the WTF
Fanime
2012
San Jose, CA
Lecturer
Scans, Trans, & Fans: Piracy
The Cult(ure) of Hatsune Miku
Uncool Japan: Memoirs of Otaku
Comikaze
2011
Los Angeles, CA
Lecturer
Uncool Japan: The Trials & Tribulations of Japanese Pop Culture
Anime 201: You've Seen Some Shows, Now What?
Anime Expo
2011
Los Angeles, CA
Lecturer
Uncool Japan: The Trials & Tribulations of Japanese Pop Culture
A Survey of Anime Intro & Ending Themes
Anime Tune-Up: Exploring Animation Through Music
New York Anime Festival
2010
New York, NY
Moderator
Anime in Academia
Otakon
2010
Baltimore, MD
Moderator
Anime in Academia
Lecturer
Experiments in the Anime Industry: noitaminA
What's the Point of Anime Opening & Ending Themes?
Anime Boston
2010
Boston, MA
Moderator
Anime in Academia
Lecturer
Introduction to
Anime Intro and Ending Themes
After Cowboy Bebop:
The Works of Shinichiro Watanabe
Chains, Trains, and
Happy Endings: Japan's Underground Sex Culture
On the Road for
Anime Pilgrimages
Impact of
Evangelion
Hentai Manga: The
Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
From Antisocial
Loser to Economic Hero: The History of Otakudom
Otakon
2009
Baltimore, MD
Moderator
Anime in Academia
Lecturer
Without Watching
the Anime: Opening & Ending Themes
The Impact of
Evangelion
The Problem with
Otaku
Anime Expo
2009
Anaheim, CA
Lecturer
Without Watching
the Anime: Opening & Ending Themes
The Problem with
Otaku
Panelist
Anime in Academia
Introduction to
Anime & Manga Studies
Anime Boston
2009
Boston, MA
Lecturer
Music, Genre, &
the Works of Shinichiro Watanabe
The Virtual Worlds
of Anime
The Anime That's
Not Anime: Opening & Ending Themes
Chains, Trains,
& Love Hotels: The Japanese Sex Industry
Panelist
Akiba Empire: The
Otaku Influence
Connecticon
2008
Hartford, CT
Lecturer
The Anime Culture
Anime Boston
2008
Boston, MA
Moderator & Panelist
Technology,
Globalization, and the American Otaku
Trescaflowgun:
Comparative Themes in Japanese Animation
CONFERENCES, PANELS & PRESENTATIONS:
EVENT MANAGEMENT
Digital Media & Learning Conference: Designing Learning Futures
2012
Long Beach, California
Organizer
Futures of Entertainment 5
2011
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Organizer
Digital Media & Learning Conference: Designing Learning Futures
2011
Long Beach, California
Organizer
ROFLcon II
2010
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Communications Manager
Futures of Entertainment 4
2009
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Event Manager
ROFLthing NY
2009
New York City, NY
Staff
Beyond Broadcast
2008
American University, Washington, D.C.
Social Media Consultant
CONFERENCES, PANELS & PRESENTATIONS:
DELEGATION
ROFLcon III
2012
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Delegate
MIT Business in Gaming
2010
Microsoft Research New England, Cambridge, MA
Delegate
Harvard Program for Asian & International Relations
2008 - 2009
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Delegate
Beyond Broadcast
2008
American University, Washington, D.C.
Delegate
Berkman@10
2008
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Delegate
ROFLcon
2008
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Delegate
ACADEMIC SERVICE
International Communication Association
2012 - 2013
Reviewer
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Fluent in English
Conversant & literate in French
Intermediate skills in Japanese
Elementary skills in Mandarin
Chinese
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Programming & Code: Python (intermediate), R (intermediate), SQL [MySQL, OracleDB] (intermediate), NoSQL [MongoDB] (intermediate), HTML (fluent), CSS (intermediate), Javascript (beginner), Processing (beginner)
Graphic Design: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign (intermediate)
Video/Audio: Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, Adobe Soundbooth, Audacity (intermediate)