Carrie O'Connell

Biography

I am a doctoral candidate (ABD) in Communication at the University of Illinois Chicago, completing my dissertation from afar. My primary research focuses on death and the / in the digital -- essentially, considering the philosophical and moral implications of the "extension of life" through mediated objects, whether tactile artifacts or systems supported by artificial intelligence, and our discursive relationship with these objects. My research also focuses on questions concerning digital remains, the "right to be forgotten," and legacy management.

 

Prior to joining MTU, I was an ESP-IGERT fellow at UIC, and worked on collaborative research projects grounded in Science and Technology Studies (STS). My recent work also focuses on the shortcomings of cybernetic prediction, the historical and philosophical implications of black box technology, automata as a tool of deception, and new technologies as mediators of the posthuman self.