Assoc Prof Nicholas Carah is an Associate Investigator at The University of Queensland node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making & Society (ADM+S).

Nicholas is the Director of the Digital Cultures and Societies Hub in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Associate Professor in the School of Communication and Arts at The University of Queensland.

Nicholas’ research examines the algorithmic, promotional and participatory cultures of digital media platforms. He is currently a Chief Investigator on the ARC Discovery Project ‘Using machine vision to explore Instagram’s everyday promotional cultures’, Linkage Project ‘Young Australians and the promotion of alcohol and nightlife on social media, and a Vichealth-funded project that tracks below-the-line marketing by harmful industries on social media. He is an investigator on a New Zealand Marsden Fund project examining young people, digital media and limbic capitalism. Across these research activities Nicholas’ research has offered a sustained and unique account of the foundational role advertising plays in the development of digital and social media platforms and their cultures.

Nicholas has also undertaken significant engagement with policy-makers in Australia and internationally about the use of digital media by alcohol marketers. He has contributed to expert consultations, reports and public talks by the World Health Organisation, Australian Medical Association, Public Health Association of Australia, Vichealth and Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education.