Dr. Mel Stanfill is an Associate Professor in the Texts & Technology Program and Department of English at the University of Central Florida. Stanfill researches the complex interactions between individuals and various media forms, from television to social media platforms, with particular focus on how technology, identity, law, and economics shape cultural access and interpretation. Stanfill is the author of several books, including Fandom Is Ugly: Networked Harassment in Participatory Culture (New York University Press, 2024), which examines the intersection of politics and fan communities and won the 2025 National Communication Association Diamond Anniversary Book Award. Their previous work Rock This Way: Cultural Constructions of Musical Legitimacy (University of Michigan Press, 2023) explores the ethical and legal dimensions of music reuse.
