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Florence M. Chee, PhD

Director of Center for Digital Ethics and Policy; Director of SIMLab; Associate Professor

Dr. Florence M. Chee is Associate Professor of Digital Communication in the School of Communication, Affiliate Faculty in the Department of Computer Science, and Director of the Center for Digital Ethics and Policy (CDEP) at Loyola University Chicago. Internationally and nationally sought out as a speaker, writer, and advisor, her sociotechnical interventions inform and influence decisions made in design, development, and policy arenas. This year, she has been named to the Fulbright Specialist Roster for 2025-2028 and has recently focused on the US and Swiss game industries while serving on grant funded work in Switzerland. Florence Chee is founding director of the Social & Interactive Media Lab (SIMLab) based in Chicago, USA. Dr. Chee's 2023 book, Digital Game Culture in Korea: The Social at Play (Bloomsbury), critiques commonly held notions of online game addiction by taking an ethnographic look at the social and cultural roles that games fulfill in everyday life.

Dr. Chee has published award-winning and internationally recognized research in top-tier academic journals, including the Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, Popular Communication, Feminist Media Studies, and Games and Culture.

Florence Chee serves as Associate Editor at flagship publication Communications of the ACM (CACM) and has guest edited a number of special issues in academic journal such as the International Review of Information Ethics, Journal of Games Criticism, Human Technology.

Her research examines the social, cultural, and ethical dimensions of emergent digital lifestyles with a particular focus on the examination of artificial intelligence, games, social media, mobile platforms, and translating insights about their lived contexts across industrial, governmental, and academic sectors.

She serves as an External Consultee to the Freedom Online Coalition's (FOC) Taskforce on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights (T-FAIR) and is a Key Constituent of the United Nations 3C Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence.

She has designed and taught graduate/undergraduate courses in Digital Media including Game Studies, where students engage with debates surrounding diversity, intersectionality and media production through social justice frameworks.

Follow her on Twitter @cheeflo

 

Education

Doctor of Philosophy in Communication, 2012, Simon Fraser University
Dissertation: "Online Games as a Medium of Cultural Communication: An Ethnographic Study of Sociotechnical Transformation"

Master of Arts in Communication, 2006, Simon Fraser University
Thesis: "An Ethnography of Korean Online Game Communities"

Honors Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Anthropology, with Co-operative Education, Simon Fraser University
Thesis: "Addiction as Community in Sony Online Entertainment’s EverQuest"

Research Interests

  • Changing global labor dynamics across industrial, governmental, and academic sectors
  • Design and development of games on various social networking sites and mobile platforms
  • Digital lifestyles, “Big Data,” privacy, and surveillance
  • Gender/Race/Class dynamics in access to communication technologies; experience and engagement
  • Research ethics, informed consent
  • Sociocultural issues in a globally networked society
  • Technology and social transformation

Specialty Area

Digital Communication, Culture, and Technological Engagement

Professional/Community Affiliations

  • Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) Ethics Committee
  • Canadian Communication Association (CCA)
  • Canadian Games Studies Association (CGSA)
  • Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA)
  • International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR)
  • International Communication Association (ICA)

Courses Taught

  • Communication and New Media/Games/Social Media
  • Communication History – Big Thinkers, Big Impact
  • Communication Research Methods
  • Critical Approaches to Communication Design and Development
  • Social Issues in a Networked Society
  • Technology, Society, Culture – Master Class in Applied Ethnography

Publications/Research Listings

REFEREED JOURNAL ARTICLES
Available online: https://simlabchicago.com/?page_id=15

  • Chee, Florence (2022) “Communication as Conscience,” communication +1: Vol. 9: Issue. 2, Article 7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7275/8v86-2k35
  • Florence M. Chee, Larissa Hjorth & Hugh Davies (2021): An ethnographic co-design approach to promoting diversity in the games industry, Feminist Media Studies, DOI:10.1080/14680777.2021.1905680
  • Chee, Florence, and Karhulahti, Veli-Matti (2020). “The ethical and political contours of Institutional Promotion in Esports: from precariat models to sustainable practices,” Human Technology, Open Science Centre, Vol. 16(2), DOI: https://doi.org/10.17011/ht/urn.202008245642
  • Suomela, Todd, Chee, Florence, Berendt, Bettina, and Rockwell, Geoffrey. (2019). “Applying an Ethics of Care to Internet Research: Gamergate and Digital Humanities.” Digital Studies. Open Library of Humanities. Vol. 9(1), 4. DOI: http://doi.org/10.16995/dscn.302
  • Chee, Florence. (2018) “An Uber ethical dilemma: examining the social issues at stake.” Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society. Emerald Publishing. Vol. 16 Issue: 3, pp. 261-274.
  • Jin, Dal Yong, Chee, Florence, and Kim, Seah. (2015). “Transformative Mobile Game Culture: A sociocultural analysis of Korean mobile gaming in the era of smartphones.” International Journal of Cultural Studies. Sage Publications. Vol. 18(4), pp. 413-429.
  • Chee, Florence, Taylor, Nicholas, and de Castell, Suzanne. (2012). “Re-Mediating Research Ethics: End-User License Agreements (EULAs) in Online Games.” Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society. Sage Publications. Vol. 32(6), pp. 497-506.
  • Hira, Anil, Morfopolous, James, and Chee, Florence. (2012). “Evolution of the South Korean wireless industry: from state guidance to global competition.” International Journal of Technology and Globalisation. Inderscience Enterprises Limited. Vol. 6(1-2), pp. 65-86.
  • Jin, Dal Yong, and Chee, Florence. (2008). “Age of New Media Empires: a critical interpretation of the Korean online game industry.” Games and Culture: A Journal of Interactive Media. Thousand Oaks, Ca: Sage Publications. Vol. 3(1), pp. 38-58.
  • Chee, Florence. (2006). “The games we play online and offline: making
    Wang-tta in Korea.” Popular Communication: The International Journal of Media and Culture. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc. Vol. 4(3), pp. 225-239.
  • Chee, Florence. (2002). “Different Strokes – Moving to the beat of just one drummer: The Acoustic Dimensions of the Sport of Dragonboating.” Soundscape: The Journal of Acoustic Ecology. Vol. 3(2), pp. 10-14.

SELECT BOOK CHAPTERS
Available online: https://simlabchicago.com/?page_id=15

  • Chee, Florence, Suomela, Todd, Berendt, Bettina, and Rockwell, Geoffrey. (2023) “Applying a Feminist Ethics of Care in Conducting Internet-based Archival Gender Research: The Case of Studying Gamergate Reactions. In Trauth, Eileen and Quesenberry, Jeria (Eds.), Handbook of Gender and Technology: Environment, Identity, Individual. Edward Elgar Publishing
  • Chee, Florence. (2016). “A game industry beyond diversity: systemic barriers to participation in South Korea.” In Kafai, Y., Richard, G., and Tynes, B. (Eds). Diversifying Barbie and Mortal Kombat: Intersectional Perspectives and Inclusive Designs in Gaming. Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press, pp. 159-170.
  • Busch, T., Chee, F., and Harvey, A. (2016). “Corporate Responsibility and Gender in Digital Games.” In Grosser, K., McCarthy, L., and Kilgour, M. (Eds.), Gender Equality and Responsible Business: Expanding CSR Horizons. Sheffield, UK: Greenleaf Publishing, pp.31-45.
  • Chee, Florence (2015) “Online Games and Digital Ethnography.” In Mansell, R. and Ang, P. (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of Digital Communication & Society. Wiley-Blackwell. DOI: 10.1002/9781118290743.wbiedcs086
  • Chee, Florence. (2014). “Cultural Affordances and Changing Social Dynamics in Asian and European Contexts.” In Bammé, A., Getzinger, G., and Berger, T.(Eds.) Yearbook of the Institute for Advanced Studies on Science, Technology and Society (IAS-STS), Graz, Austria, Profil, pp.217-238.
  • Jin, Dal Yong, and Chee, Florence. (2009). “The Politics of Online Gaming.” In L. Hjorth and D. Chan (Eds.), Gaming Cultures in the Asia-Pacific Region. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, pp. 19-38.
  • Chee, Florence, and Smith, Richard. (2007). “Online gamers and the ambiguity of community: Korean definitions of togetherness for a new generation.” In M. Consalvo and C. Haythornthwaite (Eds.), AOIR Internet Annual. Volume 4, New York: Peter Lang Publishers, pp. 165-184.
  • Chee, F., Vieta, M., and Smith, R. (2006). “Online gaming and the interactional self: Identity interplay in situated practice.” In J. P. Williams, S. Q. Hendricks & W. K. Winkler (Eds.), Gaming as Culture: Essays on Reality, Identity, and Experience in Fantasy Games. Jefferson, NC: McFarland Publishing, pp.154-174.
  • Chee, Florence. (2005). “Understanding Korean experiences of online game hype and identity and the menace of the “Wang-tta.”” Selected Papers of Changing Views: Worlds at Play, Digital Games Research Association. (DIGRA), pp. 111-122.
  • Chee, F., and Smith, R. (2005). “Is electronic community an addictive substance? An ethnographic offering from the EverQuest community.” In S. Schaffer & M. Price (Eds.), Interactive Convergence in Multimedia – Probing the boundaries. Volume 10, The Inter-Disciplinary Press, pp. 137-156.

BOOKS

  • Chee, Florence (2023) Digital Game Culture in Korea: The Social at Play. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.
  • Chee, Florence (Ed). (2011). Media and Audiences: Custom Courseware for CMNS 221. Burnaby, Simon Fraser University
  • Chee, Florence (Ed). (2007). Location-based awareness: research on local systems of innovation in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. Centre for Policy Research on Science and Technology, Simon Fraser University.
  • Kim, S. D., and Florence Chee (Eds.). (2004). Mobile Communication and Social Change: 2004 International Conference on Mobile Communication. Seoul, Korea: Institute for Communication Arts & Technology. Hallym University.

OTHER WORKS
Available online: https://simlabchicago.com/?page_id=15

  • Chee, Florence. (Forthcoming). “Games and Digital Ethnography.” International Encyclopedia of Digital Communication & Society. Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Berendt, B., M. Chee, F., & Rockwell, G. (2022). Introduction to Ethics in the Age of Smart Systems. The International Review of Information Ethics, 31(1).
  • Rockwell, G., Berendt, B., & Chee, F. (2022). On Dialogue and Artificial Intelligence. The International Review of Information Ethics, 31(1).
  • Rockwell, Geoffrey, Berendt, Bettina, Chee, Florence, Matthews, Jeanna, Gambs, Sébastien, and Renso, Chiara. (2022 January 27). Ottawa’s use of location data raises big surveillance and privacy concerns. The Conversation.https://theconversation.com/ottawas-use-of-our-location-data-raises-big-surveillance-and-privacy-concerns-17531
  • Chee, Florence, de Castell, Suzanne, & Taylor, Nick. (2011). “Public Virtual World Gaming in Asia: Preparatory Fieldwork for Site Selection, Protocol Testing, and Research Instrument Development.” Technical Report. Multimodal Analysis of Real/Virtual Environments Laboratory (MARVEL) at Simon Fraser University, and Play in Computer Environments Studio (Play) at York University, Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University.
  • Chow-White, P. A., Chee, F. and Smith, R. K. (2011) “Data Mining User Generated Content: Transforming Play and Leisure in Online Social Gaming into Business Analytics.” Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1926437
  • Holbrook, J. A. D., Wixted, B., Chee, F., Klingbeil, M., & Shaw-Garlock, G. (2009). “Measuring the Return on Investment in Research in Universities: The Value of the Human Capital Produced by these Programs.” CPROST Report. The Centre for Policy Research on Science and Technology (CPROST), Simon Fraser University.
  • Chee, Florence. (2008). “Online Games and Korea as Figure and Ground: An Application of Canadian Communication Theory to the Sociotechnical Transformation in Korea.” In Printed Proceedings of the Fourth World Congress of Korean Studies. The Academy of Korean Studies, pp. 1453-1465.
  • Chee, Florence. (2007). “What Innovation Is Not.” In The Banff Consensus: Integrating the Creative Capabilities of Western Canada into the Global Innovation System. The Centre for Innovation Studies, Calgary, Canada, p. 12.
  • Chee, Florence. (2005). “Embracing the Jungian Archetype in Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games.” The Digest: Innovations in New Media, 4(2), 3.
  • Chee, Florence. (2003). “The Ology of Anthros in Tech.” The Digest: Innovations in New Media, 2(1), 5.

Awards

  • IDRC Research Award Recipient 2013, Advisory Committee on Research Ethics, International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada              
  • Ernst-Mach Stipendien (Ernst-Mach Grant Worldwide), awarded by the Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research (OeAD-GmbH), Centre for International Cooperation & Mobility (ICM), financed by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research (BMWF)          
  • Research Fellowship Award, Institute for Advanced Studies on Science, Technology, and Society (IAS-STS), Graz, Austria
  • Erasmus Mundus Visiting Scholar Award, Economics and Management of Network Industries (EMIN) Consortium, European Commission Erasmus Mundus Programme     
  • President’s PhD Research Stipend, Simon Fraser University        
  • Graduate Research Fellowship (PhD), Faculty of Applied Sciences, Simon Fraser University
  • Korean Government Research Scholarship, National Institute for International Education Development (NIIED) Korea/Foreign Government Award, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) Canada        
  • Graduate International Scholarship, Simon Fraser University      
  • Faculty of Applied Sciences Dean’s Fund Graduate Fellowship (PhD), Simon Fraser University    
  • COGECO Graduate Scholarship in Communication           
  • PhD Research Fellowship, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Simon Fraser University
  • Graduate Research Fellowship (PhD), Faculty of Applied Sciences, Simon Fraser University
  • Graduate Fellowship (PhD), Dean of Graduate Studies, Simon Fraser University