B2 ‘Post-truth’ moments beyond the infodemic research agenda

B3 Work-related Online Harassment of Academics

C2 The situated nature of resisting a culture of fakes

We frequently read in the press about digital crimes that severely impact private individuals and celebrities. In contrast, relatively little research seems to tackle people’s cybervictimisation experiences in response to online scams. There seem to be no scholarly accounts of South African (SA) celebrity influencers’ lived experiences of cyber-victimisation, brandjacking, and impersonation. By 2024, the FCE had listed media reports for over fifty SA celebrities who had been brandjacked for fake endorsements on social media. Travis co-authored an article that addressed Global South influencers responses to fake endorsements on USA platforms. Its review identified that there is a well-established global Northern trajectory of work that measures the causes and effects of cybervictimisation and help-seeking behaviours. However, this inadequately captures the nuances and complexities of responding to crimes in the Global South. While Resisting a culture of ‘fakes’ offers insights into a niche sample of celebrity influencers, its conclusions have significant theoretical and methodological implications for cybervictimisation research and legal interventions, both locally and internationally. This paper makes noteworthy theoretical inroads into understanding cybervictimisation as a phenomenon not only shaped by individual behavior but also by institutional structures and geographical positioning. Through interrogating the cultural and geopolitical nuances of cybervictimisation, the value of in-depth, meaning-driven investigations using a critical qualitative methodology was shown.

D+ Arguments in data visualisation

D1 Data visualisation design as multimodal academic argument

Students can struggle to access disciplines and Higher Education in general due to opaque discursive conventions. Travis and Professor Arlene Archer’s multimodal research has helped build our understanding of journalism students’ negotiations of such challenges in their development of academic arguments via data visualization poster designs (2020). Both authors’ multimodal framework for analysing and producing argument in data visualisation has proved helpful for changing a blended-learning course into one that better supported students’ development as critical designers and engaged citizens (2022).

The adaptation of this framework for a blended-learning course reflects Travis’s innovative pedagogical approach. His focus on nurturing critical design skills and informed citizenship aligns well with contemporary educational needs.

E1 SA learners' online content creation

To link young visual arts students’ e-portfolio curations to inequalities in their schooling and home contexts in Cape Town, Travis proposed the ‘Capital meets Capabilities’ framework. It supported the development of twelve case studies for a wide range of students. His research publications have foregrounded four students from marginalised contexts which have largely been neglected in research into OCC’s productions.

E2 Connected Learning in African university students

This collaborative research project underscored the significance of digital literacy and competency in today's globalised world. Travis' work in positioning digital creation as a competitive advantage not only adds to academic discourse but also has practical pedagogical implications.

D3 Critical reflections in educational action research

Travis is working on a methodological reflection on his PhD that foregrounds the necessity of EAR researchers being more critical in their planning process and considering different forms of failure upfront. Researchers are also alerted to a novel danger; multi-site EAR research with OCC that increases the participatory divide.