Staff Profile
Helen McCarthy
Academic Associate in Criminology and Sociology
I am a PhD researcher and an Academic Associate in Criminology and Sociology. My research focuses on internet-based communities and subcultures, conspiracy theory, and dis/misinformation. Currently, I am working on a digital ethnographic study of anti-vaccination mis/disinformation discourses in 'Alt Tech' online spaces.
Previously, I received a BA (Hons) in English Literature from the University of Manchester in 2014. I then achieved an MA in Criminology from the University of Central Lancashire in 2021.
- School – York Business School
- Email – h.mccarthy@yorksj.ac.uk
- Research - View my work in RaY
Further information
Teaching
I currently teach on the following modules:
- CRI4002M - Crime and Deviance in the Contemporary World
- CRI4003M - Preventing and Punishing
- SSC5001M - Social Research Methods (Qualitative)
- CRI4004M - Victimology
Research
My research focuses on niche internet communities and how they navigate and define various online spaces.
My MA thesis was an examination of the methods and motivations of 'predator hunting' groups operating through Facebook in the UK. Before this, I independently produced a documentary podcast series which focused on the 'cult-like' aspects of online communities, including multi-level marketing, ‘pick-up artists’, and social media influencers.
My ongoing PhD research project uses digital ethnography to examine the spread of anti-vaccination mis/disinformation online in a post-Covid context.
Publications and Conferences
Publications:
Kelly-Corless, L., & McCarthy, H. (2024). Moving Beyond the Impasse: Importation, Deprivation, and Difference in Prisons. The Prison Journal, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00328855241292791
Online publications:
McCarthy, H. (2024) How Mpox anti-vaxx conspiracies target and stigmatise LGBTQ+ people. Available from: https://theconversation.com/how-mpox-anti-vaxx-conspiracies-target-and-stigmatise-lgbtq-people-239981.
Conferences:
‘A digital ethnographic study of post-COVID discourses in anti-vaccination groups on ‘free speech’ Alt Tech social media’, York Business School PGR Poster Showcase Event, York St John University, 24 April 2024.
‘Stay away from our kids: The methods and motivations of online ‘paedophile hunting’ groups operating through Facebook in England’, British Society of Criminology Postgraduate Conference 2023, University of Central Lancashire, 27 June 2023.
