Tanja Sihvonen, Ph.D.

Tanja Sihvonen is professor of communication studies at the University of Vaasa, Finland. She has a PhD in media studies from the University of Turku, Finland, and she is specialized in digital media, computer games, and participatory cultures on the internet. In her book Players Unleashed! Modding The Sims and the Culture of Gaming (Amsterdam UP) she presents a theoretical frame for the study of players and users creatively extending and appropriating computer games and other digital services. Her most recent games-oriented research considers role-playing games, queer theory, and game economies. The use and misuse of social media is another field she is passionate about. Her most recent work in this field considers trolling and astroturfing, blockchain technologies, and interaction with robots and social bots.