My 2024 PhD thesis, entitled: ‘Talking Heads: The use of virtual human presenters for the delivery of news content’ explores human engagement with, and potential uses for artificially intelligent, computer-simulated, on-screen presenters. It explores factors necessary to maximise audience engagement with ‘virtual humans’, such as design aesthetics, content genres, personalisation, and audience demographics and psychographics. It also identifies how best to resolve ethical considerations, and monetise the technology. The work was multi-disciplinary and was supervised jointly by the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Journalism at City, University of London.
During my educational sabbatical, I created a module on Cross Media, which I taught to students of BA Corporate Communication at the Danish School of Media & Journalism. I was also a Guest Lecturer at Copenhagen University, teaching media strategies to postgraduate students of Film and Media. In 2020, I earned an MA by Research from the University of Birmingham. My thesis, titled: ‘Old News, Young Views’, was on the use of digital and social media channels by broadcasters to appeal to audiences aged 18-34. I also hold a BA in Politics and Sociology from the University of Liverpool.
© Leon Hawthorne 2024 