Dr. Christine H. Tran

@thechristinet

✨Retired tech model writ(h)es about the Internet (they/she) ✨Tenure-Track Assistant Prof @ Alberta University of the Arts ✨Researcher of digital work, play, livestreaming & the creator economy ✨PhD U of Toronto iSchool ✨

736 Siguiendo3050 Seguidores645 Publicaciones

Bluesky

¿Es tu perfil?Reclámalo y thechristinet.dirty.social es tuyo.Reclamar perfil

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· 29d

Withdrawn in 2024 ➡️ Veracity pending in 2026… Close enough! Welcome back, the forensic gaze + biopolitics in age of synthetic images!

Associated Press releasing the “photo kill” of the edited Princess of Wales image.

“Mitch McConnell” and his wife in the hospital… maybe.

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· 29d

Yes, the great Hollywood debates.

My Favorite Actress Is
Not Human
Tilly Norwood doesn't need a hairstylist, has no regrettable posts, and if you wish to see a virgin on-screen, this is one of your better chances. That's because she's Al.
By Tyler Cowen
10.02.25 —Tyler Cowen Must Know
Tyler Cowen is Holbert L. Harris Professor of Econc
FOLLOW COLUMN A

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Jul 11

⚽️

Simpsons screenshot of the UK flag burning in a man’s teary eyes.

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Jul 11

Modern politics is just Sims challenges now:

Cop Sim on thumbnail: What happens if I arrest Sims for ridiculous crimes? (Arrest a todder; Imprison a horse)

Exhuasted white guy Sim player on thumbnail: The Sims 1 but I have as many babies as possible.

cowboy on casino table: Can a sim get rich using The Sims 3's secret casino lot?

Scared sim on thumbnail: The Sims 3 but I can only earn money from opportunities.

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Jul 7

I Think You Should Leave "Tables" sketch.

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Jul 7

Back in my dataset codebooks for the first time in months!

Homer Simpson wrapped in bed like a big, toasty cinnamon bun.

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Jul 6

“In Canada, you can fling a wrecking ball into a bank vault if you say it’s for condos.”

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Jul 6

Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon 3x03 spoilers:

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Jul 4

It’s his day:

dril tweet: "This Whole Thing Smacks Of Gender," i holler as i overturn my uncle's barbeque grill and turn the 4th of July into the 4th of Shit”

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Jun 24

No more Toy Story sequels until they revive this hustler:

Al of Al's Toy Barn in his chicken suit.

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Jun 22

Missed my DiGRA talk on Green Screen Shorts Meta? 🇮🇪🎮🍀🩳 You can the extended abstract in the conf. proceedings! ➡️ dl.digra.org/index.php/dl... Thank you to the organizers & audience for supporting this conversation on why it's SWers 🤝 Game Workers in platform governance 4ever.

OP presenting a slide titled "Dressing Against Code: How Twitch Plays with/on Green Screen Shorts."

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Jun 22

House of the Dragon spoilers:

Smiling Friends "you kiss your dad on the mouth?" meme edited to be about moms.

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Jun 16

when they’re liking Flaming Michaels instead of Flaming Christines:

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Jun 15

how I looked immediately after posting this take ⬇️ & turning my phone off to enjoy a post-DiGRA paper prez cosmo at an Irish music pub 🍸 Now, let’s check the notes…

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Jun 1

At the stage of all my research where I can do nothing but refresh my inbox for next steps.

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· May 22

Strangers & their friends doing inside jokes w/ each other in the replies of my viral post:

Two folks making out as someone in a punk shirt and with white balloons stands 2 feet away.

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· May 21

Anon reviewer told us to cite more of my work:

are you wining son meme but with the Paliacci guy.

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· May 21

it's when this guy reads your paper:

Metaverse Mark Zuck with his disquieting green eyes.

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· May 8

Alberta politics this week:

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Apr 28

Gamers don’t even explain how their ludic practices combat reactionary technopolitics anymore, they just look at you like this:

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Apr 13

In a rush? We also made an Instagram carousel of our findings & case studies: (also DM if you need paper access :)) www.instagram.com/p/DXE58p0FGU...

NEW RESEARCH
IN NEW MEDIA & SOCIETY:
2026
Contextual Governance & Androcentric
Hegemony on
Twitch.tv
BRANDON C. HARRIS
CHRISTINE H. TRAN
CHRISTOPHER J. PERSAUD
or how where platforms make exceptions for nudity, violence &
"edgy" humour in livestreaming

"Chat, when/where is this allowed?"
From chaotic IRL meetups, almost streaming in the nude, to wearing bathing suits on stream, 2023-24 was the year Twitch "needed more context" when moderating content
Implicitly risque behaviors that are definitionally slippery became part of the spectacle on Twitch.
Rather than becoming additional attractions to a streaming platform where "anything can happen" these incidents highlight gendered precarity and platform governance on Twitch.

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Apr 13

“Chat, is this allowed!?” 😱🎥 I have new research in New Media & Society! From IRL meetups to simulated nude streams, we mapped the oft-inconsistent application of “contextual exceptions” which permit Twitch content No-Nos... if context permits. Gendered consequences ensue! doi.org/10.1177/1461...

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Apr 13

In 2003, ten dollars was a comically out-of-touch assessment for how much a (large chocolate on a stick) banana should cost! 🍌

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Apr 9

Always time to throwback Altman (2024) on one of the worst ideas I’ve ever heard in my fucking life:

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has an interesting new idea to help those struggling financially.
He calls it "universal basic compute."
"Everybody gets like a slice of GPT-7's compute," he said on the "All-In" podcast.
"They can use it, they can resell it, they can donate it to somebody to use for cancer research."

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Apr 1

Register to watch cool people discuss the history and canceled future of automating creative influence (with a gamer's POV from me!) : camd.northeastern.edu/events/webin...

Northeastern University
College of Arts, Media and Design
1
Panelists: Christine Tran, John Wihbey, Seo
Eun "Sunny" Yang
Description: Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the creator economy and influencer culture at lightning speed. From hyper-real virtual influencers to Al-generated video content that's populating TikTok and Instagram, Al influencers erase the distinction between human imagination, machine automation, and promotion.
This webinar explores how synthetic content creators are redefining authenticity, labor, and identity online. With critical and creative lenses, we'll explore how these trends unveil deeper questions regarding gender, race, and power in the generative media era-who gets represented, who gets erased, and how algorithmic aesthetics are globalizing new forms of digital labor and desire.
This event is part of the Center for Transformative Media's Al Webinar Series.

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Apr 1

How fast a speculation bubble can change in between event descriptions... 🤖 I'm speaking (again!) about AI + the creator economy on April 15th at Northeasten University! 🔗 ⬇️

Webinar: AI Influencers and the Future of the Creator Economy

DATE AND TIME
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026 2:00 - 3:00 pm
LOCATION
Online.

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Mar 25

I’m so in my monograph proposal trenches, I thought this was about:

Belle Delphine gamer girl bathwater for sale.

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Mar 24

Sora.

Spongebob shielding Bubble Buddy from a pop-happy, angry beach mob.

Dr. Christine H. Tran@thechristinet· Mar 24