Department of Digitalization

Shama Patel is a PhD candidate in the Department of Digitalization and holds a MS in Computer Science from Northern Illinois University. Her current research explores the emergence of digitally mediated spaces and the entanglement of the social and material in birthing and mobilizing activism and mass movements. Her empirical analysis explicates the nature and organization ofdigitally mediated spaces and their constitutive sociomaterial practices, that emerged through the enactment of the George Floyd video; and an analysis of social justice movements in the United States. Her research innovates digital ethnographic methods in analyzing digitally mediated spaces and community engagement, during events that cause a dramatic rupture in society. As an organizational change consultant, Shama brings over 20 years of experience in facilitating change initiatives at Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurial firms and non-profits.