Senior Lecturer, Communications and Media Studies, Monash University
David is a political analyst, social theorist and media scholar. He completed a major in Media Studies at Swinburne University, a BA (Hons) in Politics and Social Theory and a PhD in Social Theory (Department of the History and Philosophy of Science) from the University of Melbourne, where he was awarded the Dwight prize for political science.
He is author or editor of four books in the sociology of communications including: Virtual Politics: Identity and Community in Cyberspace (Sage 1997) and Virtual Globalisation: Virtual Spaces, Tourist Spaces (Routledge 2001), Communication Theory: Media, Technology and Society (Sage 2005) and a Key Concepts in Media and Communications (Sage 2011) co-authored with Paul Jones (UNSW) Over eleven years, he has also co-authored four editions of an analysis of Australian society: Australian sociology (2003, 2007 and 2011, 2014) with Roberta Julian and Katie Hughes. For the last two editions he has written a new chapter on the sociology of climate change.
Fake news and god's wrath: extreme hurricane politics in the US
Sep 11, 2017 08:16 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics Nature
The devastating scenes of destruction and flooding in the Bahamas and the southern states of the US have captivated the world for many weeks now. Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and Hurricane Jose soon to follow, have stolen...
With battery storage to the rescue, the Kodak moment for renewables has finally arrived
Mar 20, 2017 02:12 am UTC| Technology
Who would have thought that, scarcely five weeks after Treasurer Scott Morrison, paraded a chunk of coal in parliament, planning for Australias energy needs would be dominated by renewables, batteries and hydro? For...
Playing politics with renewables: how the right is losing its way
Feb 25, 2017 13:01 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics
This summer has seen a concerted attack on renewable energy coming out of Canberra, featuring everyone from One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts to Coalition ministers channelling the far right of their party. So absurd and...
'We must keep the lights on': how a cyclone was used to attack renewables
Oct 04, 2016 08:17 am UTC| Nature
The mid-latitude cyclone with no name that hit South Australia last week, spawning two tornadoes and 80,000 electricity strikes, destroyed 22 massive transmission towers carrying electricity across the state. The...
Social Media Revolution Series
Climate change makes a comeback – with the help of social media
Jun 14, 2016 07:44 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature
In what has been shaping up as the election that forgot climate change, there are signs emerging in the Coalitions election campaign that it is starting to listen to polls, its own focus groups and social media chat on...
Why has climate change disappeared from the Australian election radar?
May 23, 2016 09:33 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics
Two weeks into a protracted election campaign, it is looking ever-more likely that climate change is to be placed way down the order of business at least for the major parties. The contest over climate change that...