Follow for Now

As much as I fancy myself both a theorist and a writer, my goals are those of an artist. In subtle ways I seek the edge that breaks the spell of the mundane, regardless if that edge or that break is empirical. Novelty is my ultimate goal in science. This is not to say that I don’t seek steadfast results, but to reiterate that I tend to think like an artist.

In the broadest sense, my research interests lie in the evolution of culture. I see this evolution as communicative in nature and heavily reliant on technology. My most extensive work in this area so far has been my master’s thesis, The Medium is the Metaphor: Toward a Unified Theory of Computer Mediation, but I’m currently expanding the idea into a book-length exploration of technological mediation on all levels. I am also currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Communication Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

Prior to graduate work, I earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Science, and spent over ten years working as a writer and designer both on- and off-line. My main project from 1997 to 2007 was frontwheeldrive.com, through which I established myself as what Disinformation editor Alex Burns called, “one of the internet’s leading interviewers of subculture and new-science icons.” Scott McCloud described the site as “nicely designed and packed with ideas (a rarity on both counts).” A book-length anthology of the best interviews from the site, Follow for Now: Interviews with Friends and Heroes (Well-Red Bear), was released in 2007, and has been lauded for its eclectic but consistent content. From April, 2004 to October, 2007, I was assistant editor to Paul D. Miller a.k.a. DJ Spooky on his anthology Sound Unbound: Sampling Digital Music and Culture (MIT Press, 2008). Though my work has been featured on numerous websites, in many magazines, and in a few books, roychristopher.com is now home to most of my writing.

Other interests include disparate sub-genres of unpopular music (mostly Hip-hop), philosophy, media and literary theory, and various other social sciences. I can be found attempting to stay on my skateboard at the local skatepark or parking lot at least two evenings a week. I’m also infinitely intrigued by dinosaurs, dumptrucks, bunny rabbits, and the moon.

[photo by Cynthia D. Usery]

Publicity contact:

Jessie Duquette: jessie(at)followfornow(dot)com

About this website:

This site is managed by WordPress using the theme fSpring, designed by Fredrik Fahlstad and “adapted” by Roy Christopher.