Dr Paul Reilly

Paul is Senior Lecturer in Social Media & Digital Society at the University of Glasgow. He specialises in the study of digital activism, with a focus on three key areas: (1) the use of social media by citizens to create and share acts of sousveillance (inverse surveillance); (2) the ways in which digital media can be used to crowdsource crisis information; and (3) the use of new media to reduce sectarian tensions and promote better community relations in divided societies such as Northern Ireland. His work has been published in a number of journals including First Monday, Information, Communication & Society, Journalism, and New Media & Society. Recently completed research projects include a British Academy funded study of YouTube footage of the union flag protests in Northern Ireland, and a Horizon 2020 funded study of how social media can be used to build community resilience against disasters.