Rhizomatic networks, circulation of meanings and contents, and offline contexts of online drug trade (2022-2025; PLN 956 620)
Funding Institution: Polish National Science Centre [NCN], call: OPUS 22.
My role: Principal Investigator.
The project explores the Internet in a specific area of disruptive (disnormative) activities, that is online drug trade (using Poland as a case study), and
1) considers how the open Internet (social media) is utilized in drug trading,
2) characterizes what is the role of online darknet environments when it comes to narcotics, and
3) discovers complex circulation of drug trade contents and meanings between the open and the dark web.
The project focuses on the meaning making within drug subculture and rhizomatic networks involved in drug trading. It also asks what is the role of language in underpinning the organization of the online landscape and shaping online interactions and what are unique traits of Polish online drug trade? What are the special traits relating to the way of life, demographics, and identities of drug users (as members of the so–called drug subcultures), and how these traits are reflected on the Internet; how these are important in light of recent trends in web surveillance and datafication? What the Polish case adds to the general knowledge on the topic of drugs, e.g. why and how online drug trade is important for the drug market dynamics (drug consumption, distribution, etc.). Policy and legal issues are also considered, especially how these coincide with the local traits of Polish online drug trade, and how these shape drug consumption in general. Can the Polish case give some clues on narcotics–related harm prevention?
See the project’s webpage.
Prosumption in the Pop Industry. An Analysis of Polish Entertainment Companies (2013; PLN 70 000)
Funding institution: Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
My role: Principal Investigator.
This project aimed to examine the Polish pop culture industry’s pro-prosumer practices. The findings indicated in what way these practices are being implemented, and whether this implementation varies depending on the type of pop cultural text being produced.
See a summary of the research report.
Children of the Net 2.0: Media Literacy of the Young (2013; PLN 70 000)
Funding institution: Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
My role: Principal Investigator.
The project investigated the competencies of children aged between 13 and 16 years regarding Internet use. The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods. A questionnaire-based study of competencies and an ethnographic study of the online services most frequently visited by junior high school students, and a comprehensive analysis of school curricula was conducted.
See the research report (in Polish).
Children of the Net: Media Literacy of the Youngest (2012; PLN 57 000)
Funding institution: Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
My role: Principal Investigator.
The project investigated the competencies of elementary school students regarding Internet use. The project showed that elementary school students are not Internet-literate; they lack competencies of Internet use.
See the research report (in Polish).
Contemporary Polish Humanities in the face of the Challenges of Scientometrics (2014-2018; PLN 400 000)
Funding institution: National Programme for the Development of Humanities in Poland, Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
My role: Investigator.
The aim of the project was to indicate the status of the Polish humanities in the context of the scientometric assessment and to develop a model to promote research in the Polish humanities.
Cultural Blogging in the Light of Transformations of Participatory Culture (2015; PLN 40 000)
Funding institution: Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
My role: Investigator.
The project involved, among others, researching the bloggers’ motivations to write, and describing the content published on cultural blogs. Apart from characterizing the cultural blogosphere and looking at bloggers’ activity, the researchers’ aim was to investigate whether cultural institutions and bloggers can cooperate.
See the research report (in Polish).