Hi, I'm happy you're here! I am
Gianna
Williams.
I am a PhD candidate in Computer Science at Northeastern University, advised by Professor Alexandra To .
My research interests are in Algorithmic Folk Theorization, Black Online Communities, Identity Formation and the Internet and Computational Social Science.
My work involves mixed methods research, as well as Critical Technocultural Discourse analysis. Most of my work centers on Black Online Communities' as well as creating a better place online for BIPOC users! As of right now, I am applying for academic positions for Fall 2027! If you are looking for a postdoc or know of faculty positions, please email!
Many things interest me outside of work: a nice bike ride, pondering in a park with my friends while looking at pretty buildings, trying to do the crow pose in my yoga class without falling, my Letterboxd reviews, traveling, and my friendships.
Selected Publications
“What if England Actually Sucked at Colonizing?”: Challenges,Opportunities, and Approaches to Engaging Race in Game Design
ACM Creativity and Cognition Conference 2026
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What do you mean by “Hood” Prom? : Joyful Narratives Shown Through The Eyes of Black Teens on TikTok
ACM Transactions on Social Computing Journal
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"I can take what I want and adapt as needed": BIPOC Identity
Making and Resistance Through Internet Aesthetics on TikTok
Accepted to CHI 2026 ●
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Why Can't Black Women Just Be?: Black Femme Content Creators Navigating Algorithmic Monoliths
CHI 2025 ●
HONORABLE MENTION ●
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Constructing a Community of Play: Black Sims Players and Game Modding
CHI PLAY 2025 ●
HONORABLE MENTION
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Mapping the Crowdsourcing Workforce in Latin America and the Caribbean
Avances en Interacción Humano-Computadora (MexIHC 2024) ●
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News & Updates
October 2026
📄 Accepted in CSCW Doctoral Consortium and plan to present a paper on Digital Ethnography work at CSCW 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah!
June 2026
📄 Paper accepted in ACM Creativity and Cognition Conference on BIPOC game designers' experiences in the gaming industry!
April 2026
Began recruiting for final dissertation work
April 2026
🎉 Successfully defended my thesis Proposal on Anti-Black Algorithms: Personalization, Confinement, and Resistance of Black Online Social Networks. Officially A.B.D status!
February 2026
📄 Paper accepted into the Transactions on Social Computing ACM Journal on Digital Archiving of Cultural African American Heritage
October 2025
📄 Paper accepted into CHI Play 2025 on Black gamers' experiences on the Sims.
April 2025
📄 Paper accepted into CHI 2025 as an Honorable mention and presenting in Yokohama, Japan!
Jan 2025
🎉 Finished coursework and received candidacy!
November 2023
Attending ACM Collective Intelligence Conference in Delft, Netherlands!
September 2023
Presenting work done on crowdworkers' conditions in Latin America and the Caribbean at Tapia 2023 in Dallas, Texas.
Current Projects
Black Digital Ethnography Study
BIPOC Games Ludogrpahy and Interview Study