Dr. Gina Neff

Friday 2 July, 2021
by Gaurika Madan

“Apps and websites cannot replace the communities that have always connected and supported us, but they can help diverse and dispersed groups coordinate care in unprecedented ways.”

This week's quote is by the Professor of Technology & Society at the University of Oxford - Dr. Gina Neff

Dr. Neff studies innovation, the digital transformation of industries, and how new technologies impact work. She has studied the digital change in the media, health care, and construction industries. She has also published three books and over three dozen research articles on innovation and the impact of digital transformation. 

She is the award-winning author of Venture Labor: Work and the Burden of Risk in Innovative Industries (RMIT Press, 2012). It won the 2013 American Sociological Association Communication and Information Technologies Best Book Award.  The book examines the risk and uncertainties borne by New York City’s new media pioneers during the first internet boom.

Neff co-authored the book Self-Tracking with Dawn Nafus (MIT Press, 2016), which focuses on the practices and politics of using consumer technologies to track health and other everyday personal metrics.

Her writing for the general public has appeared in WiredSlate, and The Atlantic, among other outlets.

She is currently working on large-scale building, architecture, and construction. She is examining how new information and communication technologies need new ways of operating and what could be the challenges of implementing those changes at an industrial scale.

After spending so much time in studying digital transformation, its effects, challenges, and benefits, Gina has rightfully established how vital it is to the economy. 

A digitally connected life has impacted many dimensions of work, play, and home lives. Digital technology is so broad today as it encompasses everything. This itself speaks of the overwhelming 'value' of digital life.  
Especially in terms of caregiving, technological advances like video conferencing contribute in a profound way to the well-being of relationships. Digital communications have enabled keeping in touch with diversely spread out families to stay in closer contact with their Doctor.
It's our responsibility as business leaders to help accelerate digital transformation if we have the resources and capabilities to do so. We need to be more proactive in anticipating how our technology and business, in general, can help support diverse communities.
We have recently created a custom mobile app for St. John's College, the oldest residential college of the University of Queensland. The app integrates marketing and communication efforts between college residents, staff members, and alumni. It significantly improved their resident engagement and satisfaction.

Today's Quote

Graphic depicting Gina Neff and her quote “Apps and websites cannot replace the communities that have always connected and supported us, but they can help diverse and dispersed groups coordinate care in unprecedented ways.”

Who is Gina Neff?

Dr. Gina Neff is a Professor of Technology & Society at the Oxford Internet Institute and the Department of Sociology at the University of Oxford

She is an organisational sociologist whose research explores the social and organisational impact of new communication technologies, with a focus on innovation, the digital transformation of industries, and how new technologies impact work 

At the Oxford Internet Institute, Gina is the leader of a multinational comparative research project that studies the effects of the adoption of Artificial Intelligence across various industries.

This project encompasses two major studies looking at the future of work in data-rich environments: The “Al & Data Diversity” project aims to advance public understanding of data diversity and the everyday decisions around technological innovations and AI. The other one “Data Work: Collaboration, Sense-Making, and the Possible Futures For Work” project explores the effects of new types of data on workplace practices

She holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Columbia University, where she remains a faculty affiliate at the Center on Organizational Innovation, and she serves as a strategic advisor on the social impact of AI for the Women’s Forum.


Australia's leading custom app development agency

DDSN Interactive is a leading custom app development agency based in Melbourne. We are proudly made in Australia, supporting Aussie businesses since 1997. With decades of experience, we have worked with multiple businesses and organisations to create custom apps. The most recent one was "My SJC." It was developed to accelerate communication efforts among the residential students of St. John's College.

Moreover, we continuously try to evolve and stay at the top of digital transformation in order to help other businesses and communities accelerate their digital efforts. 

Talk to us about your next project