Theresa (Terri) Senft has a BA (Hons) in Political Science (SUNY Albany USA 1983) and a PhD in Performance Studies (New York University 2004). Her research centers on the performance of self via digital media, with a focus on the visual display of identity via photo, video, and streaming technologies. At Macquarie, Terri teaches on classes on social media, media ethics, visual culture, and representational practices. Previously, Terri taught at New York University (US); University of East London (UK) and University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas (US).

Terri began publishing on internet culture in 1990. She is is a founding member of the Association of Internet Researchers, and the founder of the international Selfie Researcher Network. Terri's books include Camgirls: Celebrity and Community in the Age of Social Networks (Peter Lang: 2008) the co-edited Routledge Handbook of Social Media (Taylor & Francis: 2015); and the co-authored History of the Internet: A chronology, 1843 to the present (ABC-Clio: 1999.) Her most frequently cited works elaborate on her coinage of the term “microcelebrity,” and reflect on the ramifications of selfie culture worldwide.

Terri has a long history of community and industry engagement and has recently pivoted to service in the public health sector. She is currently consulting for the Infodemic Management Unit of the World Health Organization (WHO), helping them navigate questions around young people’s social media use worldwide. She has also been providing digital research guidance and youth-related training materials for the Vaccine Confidence Unit of the US Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC.) Past industry experience includes companies like Saatchi & Saatchi and Microsoft Research. Past community outreach projects include the online, open access Selfie Research Course. Prior speaking engagements include Women & the World and TED (Salon). Press coverage includes The New York Times , WIRED, and the documentary WebCam Girls.